Daily Distance Research Articles

Extensive daily movement rates measured in territorial arctic foxes.

An animal's movement rate is a central metric of movement ecology as it correlates with its energy acquisition and expenditure. Obtaining accurate estimates of movement rate is challenging, especially in small highly mobile species where GPS battery size limits fix frequency, and geolocation technology limits positions’ precision. In this study, we used high GPS fix frequencies to evaluate movement rates in eight territorial arctic foxes on Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada) in July–August 2018. We also assessed the effects of fix interval and location error on estimated movement rates. We obtained 96 fox‐days of data with a fix interval of 4 min and 12 fox‐days with an interval of 30 s. We subsampled the latter dataset to simulate six longer fix intervals ranging from 1 to 60 min and estimated daily distances traveled by adding linear distances between successive locations. When estimated with a fix interval of 4 min, daily distances traveled by arctic foxes averaged 51.9 ± 11.7 km and reached 76.5 km. GPS location error averaged 11 m. Daily distances estimated at fix intervals longer than 4 min were greatly underestimated as fix intervals increased, because of linear estimation of tortuous movements. Conversely, daily distances estimated at fix intervals as small as 30 s were likely overestimated due to location error. To our knowledge, no other territorial terrestrial carnivore was shown to routinely travel daily distances as large as those observed here for arctic foxes. Our results generate new hypotheses and research directions regarding the foraging ecology of highly mobile predators. Furthermore, our empirical assessment of the effects of fix interval and location error on estimated movement rates can guide the design and interpretation of future studies on the movement ecology of small opportunistic foragers.

Electric light commercial vehicles for a cleaner urban goods distribution. Are they cost competitive?

The paper investigates the cost competitiveness of electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs) with respect to their petrol and diesel counterparts. We develop a detailed total cost of ownership (TCO) model incorporating all relevant costs with special attention to account for variations in engine efficiency between urban and sub-urban trips and by seasons of the year. The model generates two metrics: the threshold purchase price and the threshold annual distance travelled, which are used to compare among propulsion systems and to perform policy scenarios. The model is applied to a large selection of LCVs models available in Europe as of June 2019. We find that eLCVs have on average a higher TCO/km than their conventional counterparts. Yet, the existing offer of eLCVs is differentiated and some eLCV models are cost competitive. We find that four eLCV models belonging to the city and panel segments are convenient relative to their diesel counterparts for daily distances travelled lower than 93 km. Nonetheless, with financial and regulatory incentives, 100% urban driving, and 100% home/depot charging, most of the existing city and panel eLCV models are cost competitive with respect to both their diesel and petrol counterparts.

Do reproductive constraints or experience drive age-dependent space use in two large herbivores?

Life histories are strongly age dependent, notably linked to the onset of reproductive maturity and subsequent senescence. Consequently, ageing is predicted to impact behaviour, through the expression of either mating tactics in males or neonatal antipredator tactics in females. However, the influence of ageing, and the associated reproductive activity, on spatial behaviour remains poorly investigated. In this regard, we quantified age- and sex-specific intra-annual variation in movement rates and space use of two large herbivores with contrasting life histories: the roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, an asocial species with a territorial male mating strategy and a hider neonatal tactic, and the Mediterranean mouflon, Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp., a gregarious species with a roaming male mating strategy and a follower neonatal tactic. We expected age-related differences to be mostly related to (1) age-specific mating tactics during the rut for males and the presence/absence of offspring for females, and (2) experience and/or locomotory senescence otherwise. During the rutting period, older roe deer males travelled greater daily distances than younger males due to patrolling behaviours for territory defence, whereas older mouflon males travelled less than younger males, which often adopted coursing tactics to mate with females. During the birth period, reproductive females had smaller home ranges than nonreproductive females in roe deer, whereas no marked differences were observed in mouflon females. The most marked age-related variation in space use of mouflon occurred outside the reproductive periods; specifically, the oldest individuals travelled less far and had a smaller home range (females only) than younger individuals. Our findings illustrate how space use tactics vary within and between populations of large herbivores, providing strong evidence that age and reproductive activity are major determinants of their spatial behaviour.

Does artificial feeding affect large carnivore behaviours? The case study of brown bears in a hunted and tourist exploited subpopulation

Artificial food supplementation of wildlife is an increasing practice for species conservation, as well as for hunting and viewing tourism. Yet, our understanding of the implications of wildlife supplementary feeding is still very limited. Concerns have been raised over the potential negative impact of artificial feeding, but the effects of this practice on animal movements and rhythms of activity are just beginning to be investigated. Here, with the aim of studying whether the artificial feeding of brown bears may affect their behaviour, we analysed (1) the probability and intensity of feeding site use at different temporal scales, (2) how the use of artificial feeding sites is related to the bear's age and sex, main periods of the bear's annual cycle (i.e. mating and hyperphagia) and characteristics of the feeding sites, and (3) how the use of artificial feeding may be affecting bear movement patterns. We analysed the movements of 71 radio-collared brown bears in southern-central Finland and western Russian Karelia. Artificial feeding sites had several effects on brown bears in boreal habitats. The probability of a feeding site being used was positively correlated to the stability of this food resource over time, whereas sexes and bear classes (subadults, adults and females with cubs) did not show significant differences in the use of feeding sites, which were visited predominantly at night and slightly more during hyperphagia. The probability of using an artificial feeding site affected the daily net distance only (bears using feeding sites: 3.5 ± 4.5 km, range: 0–29 km; bears not using feeding sites: 4.4 ± 4.9 km, range: 0–47 km). Those brown bears using artificial feeding more intensively moved shorter distances at a lower speed within smaller home ranges compared to bears that used this food sources less. Highly predictable and continuously available anthropogenic food may therefore have substantial impacts on brown bear movement patterns, ecology and health. The recorded changes in movement patterns support the evidence that artificial feeding may have important implications for bear ecology and conservation.

Voluntary wheel running is effective on suppressing of obesity but not on blood pressure and insulin resistance in female rats fed with high fructose diet

A fructose-rich diet has been known to cause metabolic syndrome effects such as body weight gain, increased blood pressure, blood lipids and glucose levels. The role of voluntary physical activity in these alterations is not known clearly. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible improving effects of voluntary physical activity in rats that were feeding with a fructose-rich diet. Spraque-Dawley female rats were separated as control (C;n=7), voluntary physical activity (A;n=7), fructose (F;n=7) and fructose+activity (F+A;n=7) groups. A and FA groups were kept in cages with running wheels during six weeks. F and FA groups were fed with adding 20% fructose in drinking water. Body weight was measured weekly and Lee Index was used to determine obesity. At the end of the feeding period serum glucose, insulin and lipid levels were measured by enzymatic method and blood pressure was determined with the tail-cuff method. Daily voluntary walking distance in F+A and A groups were similar during six weeks. Fructose intake induced to increase systolic blood pressure (p=0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.002), glucose (p=0.041), insulin (p=0.001), cholesterol (p=0.001), triglyceride (p=0.001) and liver weight (p=0.035). The voluntary activity was found effective on the decrease of weight gain (p=0.018) however we did not observe a significant effect on blood pressure (p=0.917) and insulin resistance (p=0.565) following the fructose-rich diet. We conclude that voluntary activity has preventive effect on obesity but may not to be effective on increased blood pressure and insulin resistance in female rats which were feeding fructose-rich diet during six weeks.

Improving the delivery of wagon shipments by mathematical-statistical methods

The results of the analysis of the delivery time of loaded wagons were determined by mathematical-statistical methods. The delivery time of the wagon shipment was considered in the example of a shipment with a transport distance of 200, 650, 1000 km of the processing process based on the mathematical-statistical method. According to the law of normal distribution, the accuracy of the approximation of the delivery time is determined by V.I. In an examination using the Romanovsky criterion, it was proved that it would be taken into account in the future. The proposed time delivery technology is based on illustrative data on the completion of a specific delivery time provided to the team by determining a coefficient that considers various factors for the next period, i.e., this coefficient determines the daily distance traveled by the wagon for the next period.

Suasana Mendung di Cempaka Sari

This work entitled “Suasana Mendung di Cempaka Sari” in terms of ideas is held through environmental experience encountered by the artist since residing in Perak (from 2001 until now). The artist lives in Seri Manjung district and works at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perak Branch, Seri Iskandar (in Bota sub-district). Hence the daily travel distance of the artist goes back and forth from home to work and vice versa is about 100 kilometres. Through “daily activities” back and forth, the artist indirectly has been served with various shapes and visual elements pertaining to “social products” that are having “potential” to be questioned such as politics, economics, culture, religion, or environment in supporting the formation of his ideas for designing artwork.

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Home Ranges, Movements, and Forays Revealed by GPS-Tracking

The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is an apex predator occurring across North America and Eurasia. The species has received considerable conservation focus in late-seral conifer forests of western North America, where its habitat has been substantially reduced and altered by timber harvest and is increasingly at risk from high severity fire, drought, and forest pathogens. In the Sierra Nevada range of California, management and conservation of goshawks are hampered by a lack of knowledge of their basic space use and movement ecology. We used global positioning system (GPS) loggers to investigate space use of 20 resident, adult Northern Goshawks over 3 yr (2015–2018) in the Plumas National Forest, California. Median home range sizes of male goshawks were more than twice as large as those of females, and nonbreeding-season home ranges were three times larger than breeding-season home ranges. High resolution GPS data (location interval 1–6 min) allowed quantification of daily transit distances up to 60 km for individual goshawks and revealed long-distance forays into adjacent territories and surrounding areas. Four goshawks (three males, one female) undertook forays >8 km from their nest locations, with forays lasting up to 6 d; these forays occurred during both breeding and nonbreeding seasons for both sexes. Comparing our results to current conservation approaches, we determined that USDA Forest Service goshawk Protected Activity Centers protected <25% of both the roost locations and the area used during the daytime. Conservation efforts for Northern Goshawks in the Sierra Nevada would benefit from consideration of year-round habitat needs at larger scales than previously thought.

Residential movements of top predators in Chile’s most isolated marine protected area: Implications for the conservation of the Galapagos shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, and the yellowtail amberjack, Seriola lalandi

Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) are becoming a widely used tool for the conservation of biodiversity and for fishery management; however, most of these areas are designed without prior knowledge of the basic ecological aspects of the species that they are trying to protect. This study investigated the movement of two top predators: the Galapagos shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, and the yellowtail amberjack, Seriola lalandi, in and around the Motu Motiro Hiva Marine Park (MMHMP) using MiniPAT satellite tags to determine the effectiveness of this MPA for the protection of these species. The Galapagos sharks (n = 4) spent most of their tag deployment periods inside the MMHMP. However, high intraspecific variability was observed in their movement dynamics. Daily individual maximum movements ranged from 17 to 58 km and the maximum distance from Salas y Gómez Island, the only emergent island within the MMHMP, ranged from 31 to 139 km. The maximum linear distance travelled for a female juvenile Galapagos shark (152 cm total length) was 236 km, which is greater than the maximum distance previously documented for juveniles of this species (&lt;50 km). For the yellowtail amberjack (n = 1), 91% of the satellite geolocations were within the MMHMP, with a maximum daily distance travelled of 6 km. The maximum distance travelled between points was 111 km and the maximum distance from Salas y Gómez Island was 62 km. All archival tagged fish spent most of their time at depths of &lt;50 m and never left the epipelagic zone. Daytime versus night‐time differences were pronounced in all individuals but showed high interindividual variability. This study provides a baseline on the movement of these two top predators in the MMHMP and provides valuable insights for the creation of MPAs in the region and elsewhere.

Biologging reveals individual variation in behavioural predictability in the wild.

Recent research highlights the ecological importance of individual variation in behavioural predictability. Individuals may not only differ in their average expression of a behavioural trait (their behavioural type) and in their ability to adjust behaviour to changing environmental conditions (individual plasticity), but also in their variability around their average behaviour (predictability). However, quantifying behavioural predictability in the wild has been challenging due to limitations of acquiring sufficient repeated behavioural measures. We here demonstrate how common biologging data can be used to detect individual variation in behavioural predictability in the wild and reveal the coexistence of highly predictable individuals along with unpredictable individuals within the same population. We repeatedly quantified two behaviours-daily movement distance and diurnal activity-in 62 female brown bears Ursus arctos tracked across 187 monitoring years. We calculated behavioural predictability over the short term (50 consecutive monitoring days within 1year) and long term (across monitoring years) as the residual intra-individual variability (rIIV) of behaviour around the behavioural reaction norm. We tested whether predictability varies systematically across average behavioural types and whether it is correlated across functionally distinct behaviours, that is, daily movement distance and amount of diurnal activity. Brown bears showed individual variation in behavioural predictability from predictable to unpredictable individuals. For example, the standard deviation around the average daily movement distance within one monitoring year varied up to fivefold from 1.1 to 5.5km across individuals. Individual predictability for both daily movement distance and diurnality was conserved across monitoring years. Individual predictability was correlated with behavioural type where individuals which were on average more diurnal and mobile were also more unpredictable in their behaviour. In contrast, more nocturnal individuals moved less and were more predictable in their behaviour. Finally, individual predictability in daily movement distance and diurnality was positively correlated, suggesting that individual predictability may be a quantitative trait in its own regard that could evolve and is underpinned by genetic variation. Unpredictable individuals may cope better with stochastic events and unpredictability may hence be an adaptive behavioural response to increased predation risk. Coexistence of predictable and unpredictable individuals may therefore ensure adaptable and resilient populations.

PERBANDINGAN KADAR ENZIM KREATININ FOSFOKINASE DAN NYERI OTOT SEBELUM DAN SESUDAH LATIHAN BERENANG SELAMA EMPAT MINGGU PADA PERENANG UNIT KEGIATAN MAHASISWA KLUB RENANG

A research has been done to compare the differences on the enzyme creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level and muscle soreness before and after 4-weeks swim practices on swimmers of College swimming club. Eighteen healthy male swimmers (mean ± SD; age: 19,94 ± 1,86 years; weight: 65,28 ± 6,14 kg; height: 1,72 ± 0,43 m) participated in this study. All subjects performed their 4-weeks swim practices which consist of 2x120 hours per week with 500 meters average daily swim distance and weight training. Blood was collected before and after the practices and CPK were analyzed. Questionnaires concerning muscle soreness were filled put before each blood draw. Results were analyzed using normality test and Wilcoxon signed rank test (p&lt;0.05). There was significant increase in CPK level during 4-weeks swim practices by 59.41% (p=0.044). Whereas for muscle soreness (overall and specifically in arms and thighs), there was no significant differences between before and after the 4-weeks swim practices. As a conclusion, participation in 4-weeks swim practices resulted in significant serum CPK enzyme elevation, but there was lack of significance in muscle soreness differences on swimmers of College swimming club.

Ranging behaviour and habitat use in Montagu\u2019s Harrier Circus pygargus in extensive farmland of Eastern Poland

Agriculture intensification drives changes in bird populations but also in the space use by farmland species. Agriculture in Eastern Europe still follows an extensive farming model, but due to policy shifts aimed at rural restructuring and implementation of government subsidies for farmers, it is being rapidly intensified. Here, we aimed to document the ranging behaviour and habitat use of a declining farmland bird of prey—Montagu’s Harrier—and to compare it to findings from Western Europe. In 2011–2018, 50 individuals were followed with GPS loggers in Eastern Poland to study species spatial ecology. We found home ranges (kernel 90%) to be considerably large: 67.3 (± 42.3) km2 in case of males, but only 4.9 (± 6.1) km2 in females. Home ranges overlapped by 40%, on average, with other males in colonies and by 61%, on average, between consecutive breeding seasons of a particular male. The average daily distance travelled by males and females reached, respectively, 94.5 and 45.3 km, covering a daily home range of 32.3 and 3.1 km2. Individuals foraged up to 35 km from nests (3.5 km on average). Daily distance travelled and daily home ranges varied across the breeding season, in case of females being shortest in July, but sharply increasing in August. Also, individuals with breeding success had higher daily distance travelled but smaller daily home ranges. Average harriers’ distance to nest was generally increasing over the season, but was also changing over time of day: birds were closest to nest during night time, but at the end of the season, males roosted up to 16 km from the nest. While foraging males slightly preferred grasslands, higher elevation and smaller land-use patches, they avoided slopes and proximity of roads. We conclude that the surprisingly large home ranges of breeding harriers may suggest reduced prey availability or high fragmentation of hunting areas, both driving birds to utilise large areas and potentially contributing to population decline.

Lifestyle and Health Characteristics of Students during Distance Learning

Introduction: Human health and lifestyle are influenced by many risk factors and living conditions. The purpose of the study was to analyze lifestyle and health characteristics of students during traditional and compelled distance learning. Materials and methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey of 300 students (years 2, 4, and 6) of the Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko. The questionnaire was specially developed by the authors and included questions about physical activity of medical students, their compliance with Coronavirus lockdown rules, sleep and rest, daily routine, diet, addiction to bad habits, and self-rated health during traditional and distance learning. Results and discussion: The study was conducted stepwise. We observed better self-discipline in following a stay-at-home order among junior students compared to their senior fellows. The period of compelled distance learning caused a decrease in physical activity of students, regardless of the year, with the exception of persons regularly engaged in physical exercises. The average daily walking distance of the respondents dropped from 5.35 km to 1.36 km in those observing the lockdown rules and to 3.15 km in those violating them. We established the relationship between distance learning and changes in sleep patterns, nutrition, and daily routine. We also revealed nutrition disorders leading to a weight gain and ranked bad habits related to transition to an unusual e-learning. A statistically significant worsening of self-rated health of the respondents was demonstrated. Conclusion: Distance learning during the spring semester of 2020 raised a number of novel questions regarding a wide variety of aspects of the educational process, lifestyle, nutrition, sleep, and rest.

Sex-related interannual plasticity in wing morphological design in Heliconius charithonia enhances flight metabolic performance.

Flight morphological variations and its consequences on animal performance are common in winged insects. In the butterfly Heliconius charithonia, sex-related differences in the wing morphological design have been described resulting in differences in foraging behavior, daily flight distances and flight aerodynamics. It has been suggested that these differences should be reflected in the metabolic capacities and energetic budgets associated with flight in both sexes. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between wing morphological variation and metabolic performance, flight aerodynamics and energetic reserves in females and males of Heliconius charithonia over two years. The results confirm the presence of wing shape sexual dimorphism, but also show an unexpected sex-related annual variation in wing shape, mirrored in the metabolic condition (resting metabolic rate) of individuals. However, contrary to expectation, intersexual variations in wing shape are not related to differences between the sexes in terms of flight aerodynamics, flight metabolic rates, or energetic reserves (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins). Our results indicate a considerable plasticity in H. charithonia wing shape, which we suggest is determined by a trade-off between environmental pressures and reproductive restriction of each sex, maintaining an optimum flight design. Finally, similarities in metabolic rates between young and older males and females in both years may be a consequence of the ability of Heliconius species to feed on pollen.

Daily Distance Traveled Is Associated with Greater Brain Size in Primates

Explanations for the brain size increments through primate and, particularly, human evolution are numerous. Commonly, these hypotheses rely on the influence that behavioral and ecological variables have on brain size in extant primates, such as diet quality, social group size, or home range (HR) area. However, HR area does not reflect the time spent moving. As such, it has not been properly addressed whether the effort involved in movement could have affected brain size evolution in primates. This study aimed to test the influence of daily movement on primates’ brain sizes, controlling for these other behavioral and ecological factors. We used a large comparative dataset of extant primate species and phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results show a significant correlation between daily movement and brain mass, which is not explained by the influence of diet, social group size, HR, or body mass. Hence, from an evolutionary timescale, a longer daily movement distance is not a constraining factor for the energetic investment in a larger brain. On the contrary, increased mobility could have contributed to brain mass incrementations through evolution.

SURGICAL TACTICS OF SAVING THE NATIVE ESOPHAGUS IN CASE OF LONG GAP ESOPHAGEAL ATRESIA

Introduction. The absence of a single surgical tactic for a long gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) treatment as well as frequent unsatisfactory results of applying existing treatment methods urge searching and implementing of a new surgical approach to remediation of malformation. Objective. To optimize surgical treatment of LGEA and provide preservation of native esophagus by elongating and pouches growth inducting. Materials and methods. 6 clinical cases of patients with LGEA who had been treated in National children specialized hospital “Okhmatdyt” during 2018-2019 were analyzed. All patients received staged malformation remediation by elongating of esophagus pouches with traction sutures with further formation of anastomosis. Results. 6 patients with LGEA were surgically treated by esophageal lengthening using the Foker process. The duration of traction varied from 6 to 19 days, the average daily distance of traction of each segment was from 2,4 to 4,8 mm. Segment growth efficiency was observed by diagnostics of metal clips positioning at the ends of esophagus segments on X-ray, or esophagography. In all 6 cases the application of dozed staged traction resulted in esophagus lengthening with elimination of gap from 0-1,0 sm, so that anastomosis of native esophagus was accomplished with the further oral feeding. Conclusions. The method of growth induction allows to overcome a long gap between segments of the atretic esophagus, create conditions for the formation of anastomosis and preserve own esophagus with the restoration of age-related oral nutrition. The concept of induction of esophageal growth eliminates or reduces the use of intestinal plastic of esophagus. The Foker process is an organ-preserving method and is an alternative to operations with loss of an esophagus.

Rainforest pythons flexibly adjust foraging ecology to exploit seasonal concentrations of prey

AbstractThe availability of prey varies through time and space, forcing predators to modify the times, places and ways in which they forage. Although studied most intensively in mammalian and avian predators, seasonal shifts in predation tactics are widespread in ectotherms also. In tropical rainforests of north‐eastern Australia, scrub pythons (Simalia amethistina) congregate below the emergent trees used as communal rookeries by metallic starlings (Aplonis metallica) for four months per year, but the snakes move more widely through the landscape during the remaining 8 months. Radio‐tracking of 23 pythons confirmed that the availability of nestling starlings (that often fall from the rookery trees) induces pythons to shift from ambush predation to active foraging, increases spatial concentration of pythons, reduces home‐range size and decreases daily distances moved. Pythons that utilized the starling colonies preyed almost exclusively on starlings during the nesting period, whereas those from the broader environment consumed a more diverse assemblage of prey. The ability to flexibly modify foraging tactics and spatial ecology in response to ephemeral concentrations of prey may be critical for many apex predators.

Forest Availability and Fragmentation Drive Movement Behaviour of Wintering European Honey-Buzzard Pernis apivorus in Africa

Decreases in suitable habitat due to loss and fragmentation on the African non-breeding grounds are believed to be a driver of the declines in Palaearctic migrants. However, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on individual migrants have rarely been investigated. The European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus, a migratory forest specialist, displays the characteristics of a species that would be sensitive to declines in suitable habitat. We assessed site fidelity, habitat selection and home range characteristics of 32 tracked European Honey-buzzards in Africa to understand how habitat transformation on the non-breeding grounds affects the movement behaviour (particularly habitat use and home range characteristics) of the species. Adults had greater site fidelity than juveniles, indicating that young birds were exploring to locate suitable habitat for future non-breeding territories. Besides site fidelity, there were few significant differences between the movements of adult and juvenile Honey-buzzards. Birds of all age classes strongly selected treed habitat, as expected. Treed largest patch index and edge density had a negative effect on home range size, demonstrating that Honey-buzzards rely on large tracts of continuous forest, but can tolerate some level of fragmentation. Individuals with larger home ranges due to greater levels of forest fragmentation moved greater daily distances. In addition, Honey-buzzards spent more time in home ranges with larger treed largest patch indices and lower edge density. This reveals that birds that do not have access to a large patch of unfragmented forest are both flying greater distances on a daily basis and moving to new home ranges more often. This likely results in greater energy expenditure over their non-breeding period, which may have adverse effects on their long-term survival. Furthermore, our analyses support the hypothesis that continuing forest loss in Africa will have a negative effect on the European Honey-buzzard population.

Effects of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Related Contact Restrictions in Germany, March to May 2020, on the Mobility and Relation to Infection Patterns.

In an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, Germany has gradually implemented mobility restrictions culminating in a partial lockdown and contact restrictions on 22 March. The easing of the restrictions began 1 month later, on 20 April. Analysis of the consequences of these measures for mobility and infection incidence is of public health interest. A dynamic cohort of about 2,000 individuals in Germany aged 16–89 years provided individual information on demographic variables, and their continuous geolocation via a smartphone app. Using interrupted time series analysis, we investigated mobility by age, sex, and previous mobility habits from 13 January until 17 May 2020, measured as median daily distance traveled before and after restrictions were introduced. Furthermore, we have investigated the association of mobility with the number of new cases and the reproduction number. Median daily distance traveled decreased substantially in total and homogeneously across all subgroups considered. The decrease was strongest in the last week of March followed by a slight increase. Relative reduction of mobility developed parallel with number of new cases and the daily estimated reproduction number in the weeks after contact restrictions were implemented. The increase in mobility from mid-April onwards, however, did not result in increased case numbers but in further decrease. Other behavioral changes, e.g., wearing masks, individual distancing, or general awareness of the COVID-19 hazards may have contributed to the observed further reduction in case numbers and constant reproduction numbers below one until mid-July.

The impact of wheelchair propulsion based physical activity on functional recovery in stroke rehabilitation: a multicenter observational study

Purpose We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the daily wheelchair self-propulsion distance and functional recovery in subacute stroke survivors. Methods Seventy-four patients with stroke were prospectively recruited from four convalescent rehabilitation hospitals. All participants were unable to walk independently and required manual wheelchairs for locomotion on admission. The daily wheelchair self-propulsion distance was measured using a cycle computer that was connected to a touch switch to exclude the assistance-propulsion distance. The outcome measures were represented as the relative gain of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) effectiveness during hospitalization. Moreover, a better functional recovery was defined as a FIM effectiveness > 50%. Participants were categorized into three groups according to tertiles of the average daily wheelchair self-propulsion distance: lowest tertile (T1, ≤0.59 km/day); middle tertile (T2, 0.60–1.23 km/day); and highest tertile (T3, ≥1.24 km/day). Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for baseline characteristics showed that the T2 and T3 groups had a significant association with better FIM effectiveness, and their odds ratios (95% confidence interval, p) were 7.26 (1.13–45.85, p = .038), and 10.19 (1.15–91.75, p = .035), respectively. Conclusions The daily wheelchair self-propulsion distance was significantly associated with functional recovery in subacute stroke survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Non-ambulatory stroke survivors can obtain extra independent physical activity by using wheelchair self-propulsion, when they do not have someone to assist them with walking. This multicenter observational study revealed that the self-propulsion distance of a manual-wheelchair was significantly associated with functional recovery in subacute stroke survivors.