Tracking Sessions Research Articles

Nocturnal activity of a “diurnal” species, the northern chamois, in a predator-free Alpine area

The reduction of predation risk is widely considered a major factor affecting the nocturnal activity of mammals. Furthermore, on precipitous mountain terrain, moving in very poor light conditions should be avoided by animals with no special eyesight adaptation to darkness. The Northern chamois Rupicapra rupicapra has been for long considered as a diurnal species, with occasional nocturnal movements. For the first time, we have quantified the nocturnal activity of 21 radiotagged female chamois from the Italian Eastern Alps (Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Natural Park), continuously monitored for two years from sunset to sunrise, with 24h tracking sessions carried out for six months. Large predators were not present in the study site. Despite their mainly diurnal activity pattern, peaks of nocturnal movements were detected throughout the year. The least proportion of active night fixes occurred in January and in July, while the most were in April and in October. The greater nocturnal activity in the warm months compared to cold periods, was probably due to frozen snow cover reducing nocturnal movements. Movements were mainly concentrated in bright moonlight nights, possibly because of the absence of large predators, but more likely because of increased visibility. Changes in activity levels throughout the year may also reflect changes in energy requirements of Northern chamois.

Habits and Behaviors of e-health Users: A Study on the Influence of the Interface in the Perception of Trust and Credibility

Online health information and its exploitation in different digital contexts is increasing, creating new interaction experiences in which the perception of credibility and trust plays a fundamental role. In this processes, the Interface has a crucial function, mediating the interaction between users and information and, consequently, influencing health decision-making processes and supporting health promotion programs. However, more knowledge is needed to deeply understand this influence in order to comprehend how it works and how can it be improved. The study presented in this paper aims to contribute to this field, researching on the influence that the Interface can have in the perception of trust and credibility of e-health websites. Starting from a five-dimension interface framework that we have developed, and that goes behind the common visual perspective, we have collected data with an online survey and eye tracking sessions. These five dimensions (visual, information architecture, interaction, social presence and user experience) allowed us to reach a deeper understanding of our results, namely regarding the importance that the visual design, information architecture and user experience have on online health information habits and behaviors, particularly in what concerns searching, seeking, communicating and sharing health information.

T.R.I.C.K.‐Tire/Road Interaction Characterization & Knowledge - A tool for the evaluation of tire and vehicle performances in outdoor test sessions

The most powerful engine, the most sophisticated aerodynamic devices or the most complex control systems will not improve vehicle performances if the forces exchanged with the road are not optimized by proper employment and knowledge of tires. The vehicle interface with the ground is constituted by the sum of small surfaces, wide about as one of our palms, in which tire/road interaction forces are exchanged. From this it is clear to see how the optimization of tire behavior represents a key-factor in the definition of the best setup of the whole vehicle.Nowadays, people and companies playing a role in automotive sector are looking for the optimal solution to model and understand tire׳s behavior both in experimental and simulation environments. The studies carried out and the tool developed herein demonstrate a new approach in tire characterization and in vehicle simulation procedures. This enables the reproduction of the dynamic response of a tire through the use of specific track sessions, carried out with the aim to employ the vehicle as a moving lab.The final product, named TRICK tool (Tire/Road Interaction Characterization and Knowledge), comprises of a vehicle model which processes experimental signals acquired from vehicle CAN bus and from sideslip angle estimation additional instrumentation. The output of the tool is several extra "virtual telemetry" channels, based on the time history of the acquired signals and containing force and slip estimations, useful to provide tire interaction characteristics. TRICK results can be integrated with the physical models developed by the Vehicle Dynamics UniNa research group, providing a multitude of working solutions and constituting an ideal instrument for the prediction and the simulation of the real tire dynamics.

Scan Paths Reduction in Eye Tracking Techniques

Nowadays, the eye tracking is gaining interest as an evaluation technique in a variety of areas and disciplines. Its use allows the study and analysis of the way in which a person visually explores a particular scene, interface or image. The use of this technique in the educational field has increasingly gained place and impact, highlighting its use in the evaluation of multimedia materials. It is interesting to know where and how the students focus their attention when studying the educational materials displayed on a screen. In particular, it is interesting to know the order of visual exploration that the student follows. In this way, for example, we can know, given a content consisting of text and images, whether the explanatory text is helpful or if the image on its own is enough. One of the representations obtained by applying eye tracking sessions is the scan path, which shows the order of points of attention (points of fixation) and the user fixation time on the scene. The main problem is the huge number of points on which a user fixes their attention while visually scanning the contents displayed, so these representations are complex and the analysis task is arduous. Thus, the objective sought is to reduce these scan paths and represent those data that can be more relevant to the researcher, such as transitions between the different areas of interest, or the scanning order of them. In this way, we can achieve a higher level of abstraction and a great deal of information easier to analyze for obtaining conclusions.

W2E--Wellness Warehouse Engine for Semantic Interoperability of Consumer Health Data.

Novel health monitoring devices and applications allow consumers easy and ubiquitous ways to monitor their health status. However, technologies from different providers lack both technical and semantic interoperability and hence the resulting health data are often deeply tied to a specific service, which is limiting its reusability and utilization in different services. We have designed a Wellness Warehouse Engine (W2E) that bridges this gap and enables seamless exchange of data between different services. W2E provides interfaces to various data sources and makes data available via unified representational state transfer application programming interface to other services. Importantly, it includes Unifier--an engine that allows transforming input data into generic units reusable by other services, and Analyzer--an engine that allows advanced analysis of input data, such as combining different data sources into new output parameters. In this paper, we describe the architecture of W2E and demonstrate its applicability by using it for unifying data from four consumer activity trackers, using a test base of 20 subjects each carrying out three different tracking sessions. Finally, we discuss challenges of building a scalable Unifier engine for the ever-enlarging number of new devices.

International Seminar Touristic Territories: Touristic imagery and the construction of contemporary landscape, Girona, 2014

The first International Seminar Touristic Territories hosted by the University of Girona and with the theme 'Touristic imagery and the construction of contemporary landscape', took place on 23-25 January in Girona, Spain.The substantial growth encountered in tourism clearly marks it as one of the most remarkable economic and social phenomena of not only the 20th century but also the 21st century. While these dynamics have converted tourism into one of the principal driving forces behind economic and urban development, such mass tourism also poses a threat to the natural and cultural resources of regions. Architects and urban planners have not been paying attention to the effects of mass tourism on architecture and urban planning. However, despite tourism being a resilient sector in large national and post-industrial economies in this critical period of recession, the general demise of cultural and natural resources must be taken into account and the multiple effects should be studied.The conference sought to explore the impact of tourism on the transformation of cities and territory. Hosted by the University of Girona, the three-day seminar had a strong emphasis on evaluating the impact that tourism imagery, infrastructure and architecture conceived for tourism has had on the formation of modern territory and the subsequent consequences on the theoretical discourse on planning and architecture.The organisers, Nadia Fava and Marisa Garcia Vergara, who are town planning and architecture historians at the University of Girona, envisaged that the theme of 'Tourism and its impact on cities and landscapes in the face of changing contexts', would provide a broad thematic overview for discussion concerning the various current issues in urban planning today.Girona, as the capital of the northeast province of Catalonia and as the geographic centre of the Costa Brava touristic region, is a fitting location to explore the varied regional impacts that have resulted from the arduous development of tourism. In the 1950s the Spanish government and local entrepreneurs identified the Costa Brava as being highly suitable for substantial development as a holiday destination; one that would be aimed mainly at the package holiday tourist from Northern Europe. The region's potential was exploited with the construction of large numbers of hotels and apartments to create these so-called seaside resorts. As a result, tourism rapidly took over from fishing and agriculture as the principal income of the area, radically changing the territory and its landscape. This was not to be the only major change, as cultural and social customs and behaviours were also altered as a result of the influx of visitors and the human exchanges that came with them.Conference organisations and contributionsThe conference sought to encourage cross-cultural, inter-disciplinary debate and problem-oriented studies related to the broad advancement of research in the field of tourism connected to urban planning and architecture practice and theory. Over the three days nearly 100 participants gave presentations on and discussed the theme of 'Tourism and territory'. As the congress provided a forum on the operational dimensions and meanings of tourism, this meant that there were not only academic participants, but also policy practitioners from across Europe and America participating as well.The conference had five major themes along with eight discussion sessions. Complementing the track sessions, the programme also included plenary sessions and round-table discussions together with social events and guided tours around the city. Details of the conference programme, papers and abstracts are available on the conference website Touristic Territories: http://territoriosdelturismo.blogspot.com.es/ (accessed on 1 April 2014).The Preliminary Proceedings can be downloaded from DUGI Open Access Repository: http://dugi-doc.udg.edu//handle/10256/8798. …

Contribution of malocclusion and female facial attractiveness to smile esthetics evaluated by eye tracking

There is disagreement in the literature concerning the importance of the mouth in overall facial attractiveness. Eye tracking provides an objective method to evaluate what people see. The objective of this study was to determine whether dental and facial attractiveness alters viewers' visual attention in terms of which area of the face (eyes, nose, mouth, chin, ears, or other) is viewed first, viewed the greatest number of times, and viewed for the greatest total time (duration) using eye tracking. Seventy-six viewers underwent 1 eye tracking session. Of these, 53 were white (49% female, 51% male). Their ages ranged from 18 to 29 years, with a mean of 19.8 years, and none were dental professionals. After being positioned and calibrated, they were shown 24 unique female composite images, each image shown twice for reliability. These images reflected a repaired unilateral cleft lip or 3 grades of dental attractiveness similar to those of grades 1 (near ideal), 7 (borderline treatment need), and 10 (definite treatment need) as assessed in the aesthetic component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (AC-IOTN). The images were then embedded in faces of 3 levels of attractiveness: attractive, average, and unattractive. During viewing, data were collected for the first location, frequency, and duration of each viewer's gaze. Observer reliability ranged from 0.58 to 0.92 (intraclass correlation coefficients) but was less than 0.07 (interrater) for the chin, which was eliminated from the study. Likewise, reliability for the area of first fixation was kappa less than 0.10 for both intrarater and interrater reliabilities; the area of first fixation was also removed from the data analysis. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a significant effect (P <0.001) for level of attractiveness by malocclusion by area of the face. For both number of fixations and duration of fixations, the eyes overwhelmingly were most salient, with the mouth receiving the second most visual attention. At times, the mouth and the eyes were statistically indistinguishable in viewers' gazes of fixation and duration. As the dental attractiveness decreased, the visual attention increased on the mouth, approaching that of the eyes. AC-IOTN grade 10 gained the most attention, followed by both AC-IOTN grade 7 and the cleft. AC-IOTN grade 1 received the least amount of visual attention. Also, lower dental attractiveness (AC-IOTN 7 and AC-IOTN 10) received more visual attention as facial attractiveness increased. Eye tracking indicates that dental attractiveness can alter the level of visual attention depending on the female models' facial attractiveness when viewed by laypersons.

Eye Tracking: Evaluating the Impact of Gesturing during Televised Weather Forecasts

Abstract Televised media is one of the most frequently accessed sources of weather information. The local weathercaster is the link between weather information and the public, and as such weathercaster characteristics, from vocal cadence to physical appearance, can impact viewer understanding. This study considers the role of weathercaster gesturing on viewer attention during weather forecasts. Two variations of a typical weather forecast were viewed by a total of 36 students during an eye tracking session. The first forecast variation contained physical gestures toward forecast text by the newscaster (Gesture condition) while the second variation contained minimal gesturing (No Gesture condition). Following each eye tracking session, students completed a retention survey related to the forecast. These data were used to identify areas of interest to which students attended during viewing and to ascertain how well the forecast was retained across the gesturing treatments. Study results suggest that the weathercaster’s gesturing during forecasts may have induced confusion among participants, but did not affect retention of the weather information investigated in the study. Gesturing diverted attention from other areas of interest within the forecast by encouraging participants to focus on the weathercaster’s hands. This study indicates that minor modifications to weathercaster behavior can produce significant changes in viewer behavior.

Movement and Spatial Distribution of Common Carp in a South Dakota Glacial Lake System: Implications for Management and Removal

AbstractCommon Carp Cyprinus carpio form dense populations that often negatively impact water quality and clarity, native fish communities, and aquatic plant growth in aquatic ecosystems outside their native range, including the U.S. Midwest. In an attempt to guide future management and control activities, we used acoustic telemetry to quantify monthly spatial distributions and movement patterns for adult Common Carp in Brant and Round lakes, South Dakota, during open‐water periods for 2 years. During a span of 12 months of manual tracking in the spring, summer, and fall seasons, we obtained 530 locations from 19 acoustically tagged fish. In general, fish displayed a clear tendency to aggregate in shallow depths close to shore during the spawning period in May and June and also postspawn during August. In contrast, fish dispersed offshore into deeper water during July. Mean hourly movement rates during 24‐h tracking sessions ranged from 100.3 m/h to 165.9 m/h. Although nonsignificant, the highest movement rates occurred in June and October and during the dusk period. Our results, along with similar studies in the region, indicate predictable and repeatable seasonal aggregations and distributions of Common Carp that will likely aid in the development of sampling protocols and control programs for temperate lakes. These results can be used to develop integrated control techniques that would target adult fish during periods of seasonal aggregations and dispersions, which is critical for effective population control.Received March 26, 2014; accepted August 23, 2014

Talking about Teaching 2012

The Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (SPEE) was publically launched in 2010.&#x0D; Its start-up initiatives and consolidation process were complemented with the simultaneous establishment of SPEE international links.&#x0D; In 2010-11 international workshops were run with the support of University of Porto (UPorto) and FEUP. Later on, in 2011, SPEE joined the International Society for Engineering Education (IGIP) and together both societies organized the SPEE-IGIP Flash Moment within the 1st World Engineering Education Flash Week.&#x0D; SPEE has participated in other initiatives, such as CISTI 2011 (Chaves, Portugal), ICECE 2011 (Guimarães, Portugal), Educa Berlin 2011 (collaborating with the IGIP and SEFI workshop â??The Role of Pedagogy in Online Engineering Educationâ?), and has also organized Special Tracks in CLME 2011 (Maputo, Mozambique) and in the 41st International Conference of IGIP (Villach, Austria). Here, SPEE organized a Special Track entitled â??Talking about Teaching 2012 (TaTâ??12)â?.&#x0D; In the Special Track Session TaTâ??12 within IGIP2012, SPEE intended to contribute to promote the discussion on Engineering Education (EE) by providing an opportunity for debating and sharing approaches, developments and experiences, in line with the mission of both SPEE and IGIP.&#x0D; â??Talking about Teachingâ? is the name of a thought-provoking column of Susan Zvacek, from Fort Hays State University, in the SPEE Newsletter and it was planned to give continuity to her reflections and to potentiate them within TaTâ??12 and in future TaTâ??xx.&#x0D; The proposed topics were concerned not only with resources in EE and with the constant demand on the use of technology, but also with the effectiveness of knowledge in order to guaranty simultaneously the spirit of engineering leadership in society and the lifelong learning capability. They also included the perspective of EE oriented for STEM teachers and students, as well as the sharing of resources with developing countries.&#x0D; The TaTâ??12 Special Track has been organized in 3 sessions. Each session had an invited speaker, regular presentations and a final group discussion on all its topics. Susan Zvacek engaged all the participants with the topic â??Visualizing Understanding with Concept Mapsâ? which motivated some interactivity. James Uhomoibhi discussed â??Collaboration and Resource Sharing in Engineering Educationâ?, stressing the importance of the interaction with developing countries and Teresa Larkin spoke about â??Authentic Assessment using a Research Conference Formatâ?, showing how complementary and more effective methods can be used to supplement traditional paper and pencil examinations.

High-Resolution Time–Intensity Tracking of Sustained Human Orthonasal and Retronasal Smelling During Natural Breathing

Perceived intensities of continuously available orthonasal and retronasal vapor-phase stimuli during natural breathing for approximately the first minute of smelling were not known in detail. To clarify this, stimuli presented continuously in vapor phase orthonasally or retronasally during natural breathing were time–intensity tracked over 55 s by 19 participants, with tracked intensities measured every 100 ms. Before the tracking session, participants individually matched concentrations of anise, coffee, peppermint, and strawberry flavors to the intensity of a fifth stimulus, orange. These were their tracked concentrations. During the intensity tracking sessions, real-time visual feedback of judged intensity was provided on a computer display. Participants controlled the vertical position of the display (intensity) while the horizontal position (time) advanced at a constant rate under program control, creating an image of intensity with respect to time. It was found that during natural breathing, retronasal-tracked intensity increased to maximum at ∼8 s, but was approximately half of orthonasal tracked maximum intensity, reached after ∼11 s. Within the 55-s tracking period, retronasal and orthonasal maxima exceeded their initial and final intensities. Final intensities at 55 s were approximately half of the maximum intensities. These data indicate, with high-resolution tracking during natural breathing of continuously presented vapor-phase stimuli, that intensity of smelling increases to a maximum after initial intensity is perceived, and that smelled intensity then declines slowly during approximately the first minute of smelling.

Relationship between the growth and survival of larval Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis

We tested the hypothesis that a large body size and rapid growth rate affect the survival of larval Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis (PBT), and analyzed larval growth in relation to environmental conditions. Seven high density larval patches of PBT were tracked with reference buoys in the northwestern Pacific Ocean for 28–171 h in May–June from 2004 to 2008. The otolith radii and daily growth rates of the survivor larvae (collected on later tracking days of each tracking session) tended to be larger and more rapid, respectively, than those of original larvae (collected on earlier tracking days). A large body size was found to positively affect the survival of larval PBT, as did a rapid growth rate, even at an early larval stage (7 days after hatching). Generalized linear modeling showed that the otolith radius was influenced positively by the sea temperature, stratification parameter and food density, while the growth rate was influenced positively by the sea temperature and food density.

Dual-frequency radio sounding with spacecraft signals: Quasi-periodic perturbations in the circumsolar plasma

A large volume of coronal radio sounding has been accumulated over the years 1991–2009 by the ULYSSES, MARS-EXPRESS, and ROSETTA spacecraft. A description of the dual-frequency radio sounding investigations of the circumsolar plasma and the methods for processing of the signal frequency fluctuations are presented. It is demonstrated that a quasi-periodic sporadic component with a period of 3–8 min is present in the radio frequency fluctuation temporal spectra. The characteristics of the quasi-periodic oscillations are studied for various heliolatitudes and distances from the Sun. Wavelet analysis is applied to two radio tracking sessions in order to assess its effectivity in the detection and analysis of waves at specific periods. It is argued that the quasi-periodic component in the frequency perturbations is most probably caused by fast magnetoacoustic waves generated locally via nonlinear interactions with propagating coronal Alfven waves.

SU-E-T-524: Intrafraction Motion and Dosimetric Evaluation of Margin Reduction during Fractionated Rapid Arc Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To assess intrafraction prostate motion using the Calypso system and determine the related dosimetric consequences of this motion during the short treatment times utilized in fractionated RapidArc(RA)/SmartArc (SA) treatment of prostate cancerMethods: Thirty patients previously treated with fractionated IMRT and Calypso were available for analysis. Calypso tracking data was acquired and was limited to 30 seconds prior to beam on time and 90 seconds of beam on time. Patients were then re‐planned utilizing SA IMRT in Pinnacle v9.0 with PTV margins of 0, 2, or 6mm to a dose of 7920 cGy in 44 fractions. Probability density functions(PDFs) for motion in all directions were generated for each tracking session to represent the probability of displacement of the prostate in all directions. The planned static 3D dose distribution was then convolved with the PDFs to ascertain the true delivered dose. Dose metrics for the CTV, PTV, bladder and rectum were then acquired utilizing this dose convolution method, and the planned and delivered doses to these specific volumes were calculated and compared for each margin size.Results: The prescription dose coverage of the CTV volume was not significantly altered from planning to delivery for PTV margins of 0mm, 2mm, or 6mm and remained >99% even for 0 mm margins. Mean dose to the CTV, PTV, rectum, and bladder was significantly greater as margins were increased without a significant change in either PTV or CTV coverage. Conclusions: This study confirms that the dosimetric impact of intrafraction motion of the prostate when assessed with Calypso in patients treated with fractionated SA is not clinically significant over the course of 44 fractions. Due to the short treatment times, reduction of PTV margins is feasible without compromising CTV coverage even when intrafraction motion monitoring is not utilized.

An evaluation of intrafraction motion of the prostate in the prone and supine positions using electromagnetic tracking

Purpose To evaluate differences in target motion during prostate irradiation in the prone versus supine position using electromagnetic tracking to measure prostate mobility. Materials/methods Twenty patients received prostate radiotherapy in the supine position utilizing the Calypso Localization System® for prostate positioning and monitoring. For each patient, 10 treatment fractions were followed by a session in which the patient was repositioned prone, and prostate mobility was tracked. The fraction of time that the prostate was displaced by >3, 5, 7, and 10 mm was calculated for each patient, for both positions (400 tracking sessions). Results Clear patterns of respiratory motion were seen in the prone tracks due to the influence of increased abdominal motion. Averaged over all patients, the prostate was displaced >3 and 5 mm for 37.8% and 10.1% of the total tracking time in the prone position, respectively. In the supine position, the prostate was displaced >3 and 5 mm for 12.6% and 2.9%, respectively. With both patient setups, inferior and posterior drifts of the prostate position were observed. Averaged over all prone tracking sessions, the prostate was displaced >3 mm in the posterior and inferior directions for 11.7% and 9.5% of the total time, respectively. Conclusions With real-time tracking of the prostate, it is possible to study the effects of different setup positions on the prostate mobility. The percentage of time the prostate moved >3 and 5 mm was increased by a factor of three in the prone versus supine position. For larger displacements (>7 mm) no difference in prostate mobility was observed between prone and supine positions. To reduce rectal toxicity, radiotherapy in the prone position may be a suitable alternative provided respiratory motion is accounted for during treatment. Acute and late toxicity results remain to be evaluated for both patient positions.

Conference report: Space is Luxury: 24th AESOP Congress, Helsinki, 7–10 July 2010

The Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (YTK) at the School of Science and Technology, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland, was awarded the 24th AESOP Congress by the AESOP Council of Representatives during the 2008 joint ACSP/ AESOP Congress in Chicago. Since then, the local organising committee (under the supervision of Peter Ache and Mervi Ilmonen) have worked intensively to develop an enlightening programme. Attracting no less than 647 proposals for papers (of which 581 were accepted), some 320 written papers were submitted four weeks in advance of the congress, breaking all previous records of AESOP's history in terms of paper submission. With more than 700 participants from more than 40 countries worldwide presenting and discussing over four full days on the theme of 'Space is Luxury', the 24th congress was introduced as the largest international scientific conference held so far in Finland. Located in the Dipoli conference centre in Espoo (less than 10km west of Helsinki city centre), the congress was organised around 16 tracks and 131 sessions (see Appendix 1). Complementing the track sessions, the programme also included plenary sessions and roundtable discussions together with mobile workshops and social events. The congress also provided AESOP with the opportunity to highlight excellence in teaching and research through its 2010 AESOP awards at the General Assembly (see Appendix 2). The Congress theme: 'Space is Luxury' The 24th AESOP Congress was arranged around the theme 'Space is Luxury', focusing on the many dimensions and meanings of space by recognising it as a highly valuable, but limited resource. The urgency of recognising space as a real luxury is deeply rooted in the fact that we are currently approaching the dual challenges of peak oil and resource scarcity. In particular the long post-war period of oil-fuelled limitless growth should be taken as a starting point for rethinking planning and society, while appreciating that 'the future is scarce' and that resources need conserving, or, in other words, that 'space is luxury'! In this report I hope to provide insights into the current 'state of the art' as it emerged during the presentations and discussions in Helsinki. First, I will highlight a number of delegate perspectives, derived from asking several participants what they felt were the future challenges emerging from the congress theme. Then, I will turn to a more detailed coverage of three selected tracks and the messages provided by the four keynote speakers. Reflections from congress delegates In the following overview I seek to provide a distillation of the feedback and impressions on the overarching congress theme 'Space is Luxury' provided to me by (over 100) congress delegates.1 To provide a sense of coherence to this feedback, the comments have been grouped into five broad areas, emphasising four thematic challenges and one methodological challenge. Delegate reflection 1: Acknowledging that conflicts matter The key messages: 'Goodness is challenging'; 'Values are needed, but contested'; 'Gender planning widens the substance to improve the process'; 'The critical view on culture and tradition is lacking'; and 'How can we overcome cultural polarisation?' By establishing new future challenges dealing with the ensuring of our future space, contemporary global crises are heavily influencing the nature of planning. Space is increasingly becoming a scarce resource, resulting in competition and fiercely contested conflict. The implications are that we all have to reduce space consumption and adapt to less wasteful lifestyles. The planning systems that regulate this process could potentially sow the seeds of societal instability if there were many more losers than winners or if there were gross inequality in the way these costs of adaptation were spread. To avoid these losers becoming the planning problems of the future, planning must become more inclusive, acknowledging the basic rights to space for individuals. …

Effects of Human Activities on Home Range Size and Habitat use of the Tsushima leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus in a Suburban Area on the Tsushima Islands, Japan

The Tsushima leopard cat, Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, a small felid, inhabits only the Tsushima Islands in Japan. Previous studies of the Tsushima leopard cat revealed that natural factors; including sex, reproductive activity, season, and prey distribution and abundance affect leopard cat home range variation and habitat use. In this study, we focused on clarifying how anthropogenic factors influenced home range variation and habitat use of a male Tsushima leopard cat living near a suburban area in January, March, May and September 2005 using radio-tracking. The home range size (100% MCP) of this cat was 0.78 ± 0.26 km 2 (mean ± SD, n = 4 tracking sessions) across the whole study period. However, the cat did not use all parts of its home range uniformly; rather it used some habitat types selectively. The cat avoided agriculture areas and residential areas in all of the tracking-sessions. On the other hand, the cat showed a weak preference for artificial structures and a strong preference for baiting sites in January and March, while it avoided them in May, and no baiting site was included in its home range in September. These results suggest that anthropogenic factors influenced the ranging patterns and habitat use of the leopard cat living near a suburban area. Artificial structures might provided good resting spaces for the cat in bad weather. When the density of its main prey was low in the winter, the cat tended to rely on artificial prey and had a small home range size.

Do intensive drive hunts affect wild boar (Sus scrofa) spatial behaviour in Italy? Some evidences and management implications

Wild boar have been increasing in numbers all over Western Europe in the last 30 years. The species is a major pest for agriculture, but it has a high value as a game species, and in Italy, as in several other countries, it is traditionally hunted in drive hunts by hunting teams with several dogs. This hunting method can have disruptive effects on the demography and spatial behaviour of wild boar, especially family groups. We conducted a 2-year study (2003 and 2004) to determine the effects of drive hunt disturbance on the spatial behaviour of wild boar family groups in the Northern Apennines (central Italy). Twenty wild boar belonging to ten family groups were ear tagged with a radio device. We located resting sites daily and used intensive tracking sessions during drive hunts. Three seasons were determined: pre-hunting, hunting and post-hunting. A general pattern of increased spatial instability during the hunting season was shown. Resting ranges were larger, and resting sites were more interspersed. Distances between consecutive resting sites were greater during the hunting season and, especially, on hunting days. The displacement of family groups caused by drive hunts was generally short lived except for those groups that were repeatedly hunted and so abandoned their pre-hunt (native) range. During drive hunts, wild boar showed a moderate tolerance to hunting disturbance, and only family groups which were directly chased by dogs escaped or altered their behaviour. The response of wild boar to hunting disturbance seemed to be highly related to the degree of hunting pressure combined with individual variability. The impact on wild boar behaviour should be reduced, above all by avoiding repeated hunts in the same areas within a short period and by employing well-trained hounds.

Foraging site fidelity shapes the spatial organisation of a population of female western barbastelle bats

Information about the spatial distribution of individual foraging habitats, which determines the space required by a population to be viable, is vitally important for the conservation of bats. Detailed knowledge of this kind is crucial for the design of nature reserves and management plans. Recent field studies that examined habitat use and home range distribution of bats largely ignored factors like traditional range use vs. intra- and interspecific competition, which may be responsible for the spatial organisation of a population home range. We investigated the home range sizes and distribution of a maternity colony of the western barbastelle bat via radio telemetry in four consecutive tracking sessions (2004–2007). Based on 19 data sets with a total of 2737 fixes obtained from 12 females, we examined (i) how colony members partition the population home range (home range overlap analysis), and (ii) if individuals tracked over several years exhibit site fidelity. Home range sizes ranged from 125 to 2551 ha (median: 403 ha), with a median number of 2 core areas (range: 1–5 core areas per individual per year). The core area sizes ranged from 5 to 285 ha (median: 67 ha). A home range and core area overlap analysis showed that site fidelity across years seems to be more important for home range distribution than competition among colony members. This allows researchers to combine information from several years to get a deeper insight into the population’s spatial requirements.

Turbidity increases behavioural diversity in northern pike, Esox lucius L., during early summer

Abstract Optimal behavioural strategies of aquatic organisms may change with environmental conditions such as turbidity. It was hypothesised that pike, Esox lucius L., adapts to low visibility and potential‐reduced foraging opportunities by an increase in activity and pelagic residence in turbid conditions. Diel activity and habitat use of pike (57–85 cm) were studied in a turbid lake and a clear‐water lake by tracking 31 radio‐tagged pike during two diurnal tracking sessions in June 2006. A significant interaction between lake and total length of pike was found, suggesting a higher activity level in large pike in the turbid lake. In addition, pike exhibited a higher among‐individual variance in movement and habitat use in the turbid lake. These results suggest a higher degree of behavioural diversity in pike in the turbid lake as a response to low visibility and a resulting change in foraging conditions.