Residence Time Length Research Articles

Should I stay or should I go? The influence of environmental conditions on green turtle residence time and outward transit in foraging areas

Foraging animals move through the environment to satisfy their requirements for food, rest, reproduction and risk-avoidance. Understanding how animals respond to changing environmental conditions can help to characterise favourable habitat and determine whether they might be motivated to depart when those habitats become unsuitable. Foraging green turtles are typically residents that scarcely move in response to environmental changes or disturbances. Some individuals though, exhibit high mobility at fine scales. We developed an analysis of Fastloc GPS tracks of 61 green turtles using cox regression models and generalised linear mixed models to investigate the influence of a suite of environmental characteristics on the length of residence time and probability of turtles transitioning between two behavioural modes, “stay” or “go”. Decisions to move (“go”) were influenced by short-term changes in the local environmental conditions. Individuals were more likely to “stay” when temperature increased during their stay and were more likely to “go” when turbidity decreased, and they entered deeper habitats. This result implies that foraging and resting (“staying”) primarily occurs in benthic, shallow, warm habitats, while transit (“going”) is facilitated in deeper, clear water. We also determined that individuals within the green turtle foraging aggregation respond differently to environmental cues to move and hypothesise that a diversity of strategies within a foraging aggregation could confer its resilience to disturbance events. Our study provides new evidence of the factors influencing movements in green turtles and can aid in predicting how they may respond to future changes and enhance risk mitigation efforts through dynamic and adaptive planning.

How time in the US and race/ethnicity shape food parenting practices and child diet quality

Childhood obesity prevalence is high among children from immigrant/refugee households who live in high-income countries. Poor child dietary intake is a critical risk factor for elevated obesity prevalence and food parenting practices have been found to be associated with child dietary intake and eating behaviors. The main aim of this study was to examine the associations between migrants'/refugees' food parenting practices, the length of residence time in the US, race/ethnicity, and child diet quality. The current study included 577 families from three racial/ethnic groups that include mostly foreign-born parents (Latino, Hmong, and Somali/Ethiopian), and a comparison group of 239 non-Hispanic White families. Results showed that for Latino and Hmong parents, some food parenting practices varied by how long they had lived in the US. For example, more recently moved parents engaged in more non-directive (e.g., avoid buying sweets) practices compared with US-born parents. In contrast, Somali/Ethiopian parents engaged in different food parenting practices than White parents, regardless of time in the US. Results also showed that diet quality among Hmong children was lower if their parents were US-born compared to foreign-born. Future researchers may want to consider studying why some food parenting practices change when parents move to the US and explore whether there is a combination of food parenting practices that are most useful in promoting a healthful child's diet and weight among immigrant and refugee families.

How Time in the US and Race/Ethnicity Shape Parents Feeding Practices and Child Diet Quality

ObjectivesChildhood obesity is a critical public health issue with short and long-term health and financial burdens. Studies show that childhood obesity is higher among children of immigrant/refugee households compared to children whose parents were born in the United States. Poor child dietary intake is a critical risk factor for elevated obesity prevalence. Nonetheless, parents feeding practices are known to be associated with child dietary intake. Thus, this study aimed to examine the associations between length of residence time in the US of migrants/refugees, parents feeding practices, and child diet quality while also taking into consideration race/ethnicity. MethodsData are from baseline measures of a longitudinal cohort study called Family Matters. The sample includes 1307 children ages 5–9 and their families from six racial/ethnic backgrounds. ResultsResults showed that feeding practices of immigrant/refugee parents changed in relation to their length of residency in the US, in particular, with regard to using directive (e.g., restriction), non-directive (e.g., modeling), and emotional feeding practices. Additionally, race/ethnicity was found to influence the relation between time length in the US and parents feeding practices. Moreover, the diet quality score changed in relation to parents’ length of time in the US. For example, Hmong children had the poorest diet quality compared to African American, Native American, Hispanic, Somali, and White children. ConclusionsFuture research should consider studying more in-depth why parent feeding practices may change when parents move to the US and explore whether there is a combination of parent feeding practices that are most useful in promoting healthful child diet quality. It is also important to further examine why child diet quality declines (e.g., Hmong children) with parents’ time living in the US as a migrant/refugee. Funding SourcesResearch is supported by grant number R01HL126171 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (PI: Berge). Content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Intervention for Malaria Control in Rural Areas in China

Malaria can be prevented at the individual level by taking personal protections. However, effective preventiveaction is a result of public health programs that adequately teach preventive measures to the population. Thisstudy was carried out in 2007 to evaluate the knowledge on malaria control and prevention and to evaluate theeffects of intervention for malaria control in rural community in China. An interventional study followed approximately 1971 randomly selected respondents over a period of fourmonths. According to the level of endemicity of the areas, this particular study was carried out in a ruralcommunity. Two surveys were performed for the study in point. Demographic and socioeconomic variableswere used as predictor variables in logistic regression analysis.Different patterns of malaria behavior were found in the closely situated households and at the school level.Gender, age, length of residence time in the areas, and health seeking behaviors was found to be statisticallysignificant predictors of health behaviors (P

Delayed ontogenic dietary shift and high levels of omnivory in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the NW coast of Africa

Young green turtles (Chelonia mydas) spend their early lives as oceanic omnivores with a prevalence of animal prey. Once they settle into neritic habitats (recruitment), they are thought to shift rapidly to an herbivorous diet, as revealed by studies in the Greater Caribbean. However, the precise timing of the ontogenic dietary shift and the actual relevance of animal prey in the diet of neritic green turtles are poorly known elsewhere. Stable isotopes of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen in the carapace scutes of 19 green turtles from Mauritania (NW Africa), ranging from 26 to 102 cm in curved carapace length (CCLmin), were analyzed to test the hypothesis of a rapid dietary shift after recruitment. Although the length of residence time in neritic habitats increased with turtle length, as revealed by a significant correlation between turtle length and the δ13C and the δ34S of the scutes, comparison of the δ15N of the innermost and outermost layers of carapace scutes demonstrated that consumption of macrophytes did not always start immediately after recruitment, and turtles often resumed an animal-based diet after starting to graze on seagrasses. As a consequence, seagrass consumption did not increase gradually with turtle size and animal prey largely contributed to the diet of turtles within the range 29–59 cm CCLmin (76–99% of assimilated nutrients). Seagrass consumption by turtles larger than 59 cm CCLmin was higher, but they still relied largely on animal prey (53–76% of assimilated nutrients). Thus, throughout most of their neritic juvenile life, green turtles from NW Africa would be better classified as omnivores rather than herbivores.

Mortality by Residence Time Length

Mortality by Residence Time Length

Eficiencia del lagunaje profundo como tratamiento para la eliminación de metales pesados en aguas residuales de tipo urbano-industrial

An experimental treatment pond for residual waters reclamation with a depth of 4.75 m was set up in 1996. It was continuously fed with urban and industrial wastewater previously treated. Several studies have been carried out in order to provide a better understanding of the internal dynamics of the pond and to optimise its performance. A deep pond treatment, arranged in series with the effluent from a treatment plant (physic-chemical treatment + activated sludge) is a terciary technology which, through natural procedures and without additional energy consumption, improves substantially the chemical and sanitary quality of the water so reclaimed, making it suitable both for potential agricultural reuse as well as discharge into watercourses . In addition, a deep pond acts as a sediment trap for heavy metals. Trace elements are known to bind to particulate matter through adsorption, precipitation, coprecipitation and uptake by biota, thus favouring its removal from the water column and accumulation in the sediments. The natural dynamics of the pond makes possible such processes. pH, slightly alkaline, reducing conditions, temperature, abundant organic matter and availability of inorganic ions are the main variables involved. On the other hand, the depth of the pond and the length of residence time favour the sedimentation processes as well. Mean removal efficiencies for Cr, Fe and Zn concentrations were found to be around 60%.