Reproduction, juvenile survival and retention in an urban fox squirrel population

Fox squirrels in an urban environment had an average litter size of 2.83 (95% CI 2.5, 3.16) which was similar to rural populations. Nonetheless, the proportion of squirrels reproductively active during the summer/fall breeding season (0.73) and annually (spring + summer/fall) was higher (1.23) than previously recorded for non-manipulated rural populations. The average monthly survival rate () of urban juvenile fox squirrels during the first 14 weeks of life was higher than reported for adult populations in the area. High rates of reproduction and juvenile survival yielded high juvenile to adult ratios (juveniles/adults) averaging 0.44. Retention of juveniles after 6 months (15%) was significantly less (χ ² = 7.24, p = 0.0071) than adults/subadults (40%). Results suggest that the urban environment provides quality habitat for fox squirrels and fox squirrels in urban environments have the potential to be a source population for surrounding suburban and rural environments.     

Effect of noise on behavioural response to simulated territorial intrusion in the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) (Aves: Tyrannidae)

The urban environment can act as an ecological filter and impose several negative impacts on bird behaviour. Although some species are well adapted to anthropic habitats, others are sensitive to the effects of human disturbance. Here, we addressed whether noise pollution affects the territorial behaviour of the Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus. Here we conducted a field experiment on territorial individuals in urban and rural areas. We presented a model decoy along with the playback of the species’ song at 10 m from the focal individual to simulate a territory invasion. We used simulated territory intrusions as a method to stimulate bird territorial behaviour and notedthe time birds took to respond to the stimuli in urban and non-urban areas with different noise levels. The results show that response latency had a positive correlation with noise pollution. We conclude that noise pollution can interfere with intraspecific communication, affecting territorial behaviour.

     

Parliamentary bargaining with priority recognition for committee members

By parliamentary practice, the members of the committee reporting a bill are granted priority recognition for the purpose of moving amendments. If they seek recognition, the committee members are recognized in order of seniority. We extend the random proposer model of parliamentary bargaining by allowing for priority recognition of T > 1 committee members. In contrast to the T = 1 case considered in the literature, the payoff of the first proposer is not unique if T > 1, and even at the lower bound of the outcome continuum, it is substantially higher than with T = 1. Hence, priority recognition strikingly improves the bargaining power of the proposing committee member, and pure random proposer models overstate predictability and understate bargaining power.     

Relationships between urban parks and bird diversity in the Bangkok metropolitan area,Thailand

An analysis of the birds in Bangkok’s urban parks and landscapes provided guidance in designing healthy urban ecosystems. This research studied the relationships between bird diversity, park size, distance to the nearest main park, and habitat compositions in 10 urban parks in the Bangkok metropolitan area between January and August in 2013. Thirty sampling points per park were used to observe the number and species of birds in each urban park. A total of 50 bird species were found. Phutthamonthon, the largest urban park (400 ha), contained the greatest number of species (39 species), followed by Suan Luang Rama IX (80 ha and 34 species) and Wachirabenchatat (60 ha and 29 species). Moreover, the diversity index (H′) was highest in Phuttamonthon (1.17), followed by Thawiwanarom (1.08), and Wachirabenchatat (1.04). Larger urban parks and parks closer to the largest urban park had higher species richness than smaller parks and parks further from the largest urban park. The large parks contain higher habitat compositions than small parks. These findings can be applied to future urban ecosystem planning to combine the importance of park size (island size, and its proximity to a large park) and its arrangement, including features such as wetland, forest, buildings and grassland; and provide basic advice for future urban park design, as well as re-design of current urban parks.

     

A Longitudinal Analysis of Cumulative Risks,Cumulative Promotive Factors,and Adolescent Violent Behavior

This study examined the effects of cumulative risk and promotive factors on violent behavior across the high school years of adolescence in a sample of predominately African American urban adolescents (N = 750). Cumulative risk and promotive factor indices represented individual characteristics, and peer, parental, and familial influences. Using growth curve modeling, we describe trajectories of cumulative risk and promotive factors and test the associations between the time‐varying cumulative risk and promotive factor indices and violent behavior. Higher risk was associated with higher levels of violent behavior. Higher levels of promotive factors were associated with less violent behavior and moderated the association between risk and violent behaviors. The results support the risk‐protective model of resiliency. Implications for prevention are discussed.     

Estimation of energy expenditure using accelerometers and activity-based energy models��validation of a new device

Over the last few years, the estimation of energy expenditure with accelerometers has become more and more accurate due to improvements in sensor technology. Significant enhancement could be reached by model-based estimation regarding different activity types. The kmsMove-sensor (movisens GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany) is a device that is used to compute human energy expenditure using motion-dependent calculation models. It is outfitted with an accelerometer to measure body acceleration during certain movements and activities. To validate its accuracy, the sensor was compared to indirect calorimetry as criterion measure. For this experiment, nine subjects (all males, age 46.4 ± 10.9 years, 28–64 years) were equipped with the kmsMove-sensor as well as a portable indirect calorimeter and their energy consumption was measured over a time period of 100 min. Additionally, the energy consumption of seven out of the above-mentioned nine subjects was measured over an average of 7 h. The measurements took place in a rehabilitation clinic, where the subjects completed their regular daily rehabilitation activities. An analysis of the data revealed ICCs between the kmsMove-sensor and indirect calorimetry for the time period of 100 min of 0.82 (0.38–0.96; p = 0.003) and for an averaged measuring time of 7 h of 0.81 (0.22–0.97; p = 0.01). Furthermore, a Bland–Altman analysis for the time period of 100 min led to a difference of the means of 4.3 kcal (limits of agreement: −94.3 and 102.9 kcal) and for the time period of an average of 7 h to −14.0 kcal (limits of agreement: −320.0 and 292.0 kcal). These findings indicate that the kmsMove-sensor is an appropriate measuring device with relatively good accuracy to assess human energy expenditure in rehabilitation patients. However, this study has some limiting aspects (small sample size, artificial setting) which could influence validity.     

Rurality and Income Inequality in the United States, 1975–2015

Recent events have focused attention on the perceived widening of the economic divide between urban and rural areas, and on the continued rise of national income inequality. We demonstrate that, in fact, the average income gap between urban (metropolitan) and rural (nonmetropolitan) households has not risen over the past 40 years, and makes virtually no contribution to national income inequality. Rising national inequality is driven by rising inequality within both urban and rural America, not by an urban/rural divergence. As is well known, the growing dispersion of household money income is partly driven by rising wage inequality, particularly in urban areas. Less well recognized is the role played by other income sources. We show that a decline in the progressivity of the distribution of social security payments and cash transfers, and an increase in the regressivity of the distribution of retirement incomes, have jointly made a comparably large contribution to rising income inequality. At the same time, the share of income from self-employment has declined, particularly in rural America, and because self-employment income is very unequally distributed, its diminution has retarded the growth of rural inequality. In 2014–15, however, rural inequality increased, cutting the urban/rural inequality gap in half.     

Healthcare-Related Financial Burden Among Families in the U.S.: The Role of Childhood Activity Limitations and Income

This study examined the impact of childhood activity limitations on family financial burden in the U.S. We used ten complete panels (1996–2006) of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to evaluate the burden of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures for 17,857 families with children aged 0–17 years. Multivariate generalized linear models were used to examine the relationship between childhood activity limitation status and both absolute and relative financial burden. Families of children with limitations had higher absolute out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures than families of children without limitations ($594.36 higher; p < 0.05), and were 54% more likely to experience relative burden (p < 0.05). Substantial socioeconomic disparities in financial burden were observed. Policies are needed to enable these families to access appropriate and affordable healthcare services.     

Nature of vegetation and building morphology characteristics across a city: Influence on shadow patterns and mean radiant temperatures in London

Vegetation and building morphology characteristics are investigated at 19 sites on a north-south LiDAR transect across the megacity of London. Local maxima of mean building height and building plan area density at the city centre are evident. Surprisingly, the mean vegetation height (z_v3) is also found to be highest in the city centre. From the LiDAR data various morphological parameters are derived as well as shadow patterns. Continuous images of the effects of buildings and of buildings plus vegetationon sky view factor (Ψ) are derived. A general reduction of Ψ is found, indicating the importance of including vegetation when deriving Ψ in urban areas. The contribution of vegetation to the shadowing at ground level is higher during summer than in autumn. Using these 3D data the influence on urban climate and mean radiant temperature (T _mrt ) is calculated with SOLWEIG. The results from these simulations highlight that vegetation can be most effective at reducing heat stress within dense urban environments in summer. The daytime average T _mrt is found to be lowest in the densest urban environments due to shadowing; foremost from buildings but also from trees. It is clearly shown that this method could be used to quantify the influence of vegetation on T _mrt within the urban environment. The results presented in this paper highlight a number of possible climate sensitive planning practices for urban areas at the local scale (i.e. 10²- 5 × 10³ m).     

Effects of urban matrix on reproductive performance of Great Tit (Parus major) in urban woodlands

In urban areas the density of breeding tits (Paridae) is generally higher and reproductive performance lower compared to rural areas. To explain these landscape differences several hypotheses have been proposed, e.g. differences in habitat quality, inter- and intra-specific competition, predation and food abundance. How breeding performance of birds within remnants of natural vegetation in urban areas is affected by adjacent matrix has been less studied. We performed an experimental study in four urban woodlands surrounded by three types of habitat matrix: residential, high-rise building and grassland/golf course. We placed 300 nest boxes for tits (great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus) in 15 transects that were 200 m long, extending from the adjacent matrix 150 m into urban woodland. Density of breeding great tit pairs was highest in residential areas and hatch date was earlier in the residential habitat compared to the other two habitats, however, nestling condition was lower in residential areas. Hatching date was earlier but hatching spread (heaviest nestling/lightest nestling) higher in the three types of urban matrix than inside the urban woodlands. In contrast to previous large-scale comparisons of urban and rural matrix, we almost exclusively found differences in qualitative measures (nestling condition and hatchling spread) at the small scale in which this study was conducted. Adjacent matrix affect great tits breeding in remnant urban woodlands, thus we suggest that management of the surrounding matrix should be included in conservation plans for urban woodlands.     

Is Executive Cognitive Function Associated with Youth Gambling?

Our objectives for this report were to identify trajectories of youth gambling behavior, and to examine their relation to executive cognitive function (ECF) and associated problem behaviors. Philadelphia school children, enrolled at ages 10–12 years (n = 387; 49% male), completed three annual assessments of risk behaviors, ECF, impulsivity, problem behaviors and demographics. Across ages 10–15 years, using methods from Nagin et al., two groups were identified: Early Gamblers (n = 111) initiated early and continued in later assessments, and Later Gamblers (n = 276) initiated at later ages and gambled less. Betting money on cards and sports were the most frequently reported gambling behaviors. Using gambling group as outcome, final backward selection logistic regression model showed Early Gamblers are more likely male (P = 0.001), report more active coping (P = 0.042), impulsive behaviors (P ≤ 0.008), and have friends who gamble (P = 0.001). Groups were similar in ECF, parental monitoring, marital status, SES, and race. Early Gamblers had higher incidence of problem behaviors and drug use (all P ≤ 0.006). Two gambling groups were identified in early adolescence with Early Gamblers showing higher levels of impulsivity and comorbid problems but similar levels of ECF compared to Late Gamblers. As more gambling groups are identified through later adolescence, ECF may emerge as a relevant precursor of problem gambling at this later time.     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Problem Gambling Severity Index-Chinese Version (PGSI-C)

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese 9-item Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) derived from the 31-item Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) originally developed by Ferris and Wynne (2001). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 386; Group A data) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 387; Group B data) on the Chinese student and community data (Mean age = 25.36 years) showed that a unifactorial model fitted the data with good reliability score (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.77). The concurrent validity of the PGSI-C was good in terms of the Chinese data matching the expected correlation between PGSI-C and other variables or scales such as SOGS, gambling frequency, gambling urge, gambling cognitions, depression, anxiety, and stress. The scale also reported good discriminant and predictive validity. In sum, the PGSI-C has good psychometric properties and can be used among Chinese communities to identify at-risk problem gamblers. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Parenting Practices,Family Obligation,and Adolescents’ Academic Adjustment: Cohort Differences with Social Change in China

This study examined possible changes in the functions of parenting practices across different historical time points in terms of the effects of parenting practices on adolescents’ academic adjustment and their indirect effects via family obligation values. This study used a time‐lagged design that recruited Chinese high school students in 2010 (N = 1,040) and 2018 (N = 1,302). Structured equation modeling revealed the total effects of acceptance/involvement and strictness/supervision on academic adjustment and their indirect effects through family obligation values were positive and statistically equivalent across cohorts. However, the indirect effect of psychological autonomy granting on academic adjustment through family obligation values was negative in 2010 (in rural) but was not statistically significant in 2018 (urban and rural). These findings indicate that along with the sociodemographic change toward Gesellschaft (e.g., more urbanized, wealthier, higher level of education), psychological autonomy granting tends to exert less negative influence on adolescents’ adjustment in the later cohort.     

TOPICS AND GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE IN TOP ECONOMIC JOURNALS

We study the evolution of topics in economics and their geographical specialization by analyzing 13,233 papers from seven top journals between 1985 and 2012 and their forward citations. The share of U.S. publications declines from 75% to 64% with a corresponding increase of the European share from 12% to 24%. We use topic modeling and document the evolution of the discipline over 27 years. We estimate, with a quasi‐structural model, the citation lag distribution for 18 different topics and three large geographical areas. The modal citation lag is about 6.7 years in the entire sample and 4.8 years for citations from the top 100 journals. We quantify (1) the home bias effect in citations, (2) how it fades away over time, (3) the long lasting impact of U.S. publications vis‐à‐vis other geographical areas, and (4) the higher speed of diffusion and faster obsolescence in the United States. (JEL A14, I23, O33, A11)     

Relationship between urbanization and bat community structure in national parks of the southeastern U.S.

Urbanization and development are predicted to increase considerably in the United States over the next several decades, and this is expected to result in large-scale habitat loss, fragmentation and loss of wildlife species. Thus, natural parks and preserves are becomingly increasingly important in the conservation of regional biodiversity. We used mist-nets and AnabatII acoustic detectors to survey bats in 10 national parks in the southeastern U.S. and examined the relationship between bat community structure and development in the surrounding 5 km. We predicted that species richness would increase with park size and that species richness and evenness would decrease with development. Species richness was not related to development or any other landscape characteristics including park size. In contrast, species evenness declined with increasing development. Percent Developed land in the surrounding 5 km area was the only variable that entered into the stepwise regression model. The decrease in species evenness in the urban parks was due to the dominance of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in these parks. The percentage of big brown bats in our captures was positively related to percent Developed land in the surrounding area. Our data suggest that urban parks may be important for conserving regional bat biodiversity. However, the low species evenness in these parks suggests that some bat species may be susceptible to the effects of urbanization and may be extirpated over time. Thus, management of urban as well as rural parks should strive to conserve as much bat roosting and foraging habitat as possible.     

Nativity as a Moderator of Familial and Nonfamilial Correlates of Latino/a Youth Prosocial Behaviors

Familial and nonfamilial relations play prominent roles in fostering youths’ prosocial tendencies. The present study examined the direct and indirect relations among family conflict, parental and peer acceptance, deviant peer affiliation, and prosocial tendencies. Participants included 306 (53.8% female, M_age = 15.50, SD = .42; range = 14–18) U.S. Latino/a adolescents and their parents (87.9% mothers). The majority of adolescents were born in the United States (N = 206, 68.0%; average time in United States = 10 years) and identified as a Mexican heritage group member (N = 248, 81.0%). Findings differed by nativity as parental acceptance predicted prosocial tendencies for U.S. Latinos/as born outside the United States and peers were significant predictors of prosocial tendencies for U.S.‐born Latino/as.     

Parenthood and dynamics of life satisfaction in times of COVID-19

We analyze data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, including a pre-pandemic baseline and seven survey waves between May 2020 and September 2021. Fixed effects panel regression models are run over more than 11,000 individuals, distinguishing among women and men with young children (<5 years), older children (5–15 years), or no children in the household. We hypothesize that declines in life satisfaction during the first lockdown are sharper among parents, whose domestic demands increase, than among the childless. We develop competing hypotheses that parents might be resilient and have higher life satisfaction during the later phases of the pandemic (Adaptation Hypothesis) or that the pandemic stressors accumulate, leading to even lower satisfaction over time (Accumulation Hypothesis). The results only support the Accumulation Hypothesis among mothers. Whereas mothers fared comparatively well during the first lockdown, further pandemic stressors have seemingly exhausted their resilience, leading to stronger declines during the winter 2020/2021 lockdown. Among men with older children and without children, life satisfaction decreased during the first and subsequent lockdowns. Men with young children were the only group with almost unchanged life satisfaction throughout the pandemic.     

Experiences With Parents and Youth Physical Health Symptoms and Cortisol: A Daily Diary Investigation

Using daily diary data, this study examined the associations between positive and negative parent–youth experiences and youth cortisol and physical health symptoms among a sample of adolescents (N = 132, mean age = 13.39). On days when girls reported more negative experiences than usual, they exhibited more physical health symptoms and flatter evening cortisol slopes than usual. Negative experiences with mothers were associated with higher dinner and bedtime youth cortisol levels (between‐person). Daily positive experiences with fathers were linked with lower dinner cortisol levels. Youth with high levels of negative experiences, on average, were less sensitive to daily variation in negative experiences than youth who experienced lower parental negativity. We discuss the benefits of a daily diary approach.     

What Do Urban Black Mothers Tell Their Adolescents About Alcohol and Other Drugs?

This study utilized qualitative content analysis to examine messages conveyed about alcohol and other drugs by urban Black mothers (N = 130) with a personal, familial, or personal and familial history of problematic substance use to younger and older adolescents (M = 15.2 years). Data from a two‐cohort longitudinal sample revealed considerable similarity in themes across the younger and older cohorts. Results suggest Black mothers offer more messages of information and advice to younger adolescents, while communicating directives related to use to older adolescents.