Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns.

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions.

Deployable designs to temporarily convert subacute hospital rooms into palliative care rooms.

Objective: To explore the design of deployable articles that can turn subacute hospital rooms into palliative care rooms to provide better patient-centred care and to meet the shortage of dedicated palliative care spaces in Australia.

Methods: Clinicians and a design researcher collaborated to review the literature, obtain clinical/practitioner feedback on needs and use design research methods to produce design concepts and prototypes for use in the subacute care hospital setting.

Results: A design solution that included: (a) A guest-bed module for improved family togetherness and room personalisation; and (b) A digital connectivity module designed to provide family togetherness virtually.

New elephant crisis in Asia-Early warning signs from Myanmar.

In the southern Bago Yoma mountain range in Myanmar, Asian elephants are being killed at a disturbing rate. This emerging crisis was identified initially through a telemetry study when 7 of 19 of collared elephants were poached within a year of being fitted with a satellite-GPS collar. Subsequent follow up of ground teams confirmed the human caused death or disappearance of at least 19 elephants, including the seven collared individuals, within a 35 km2 area in less than two years.

Access to and utilisation of GP services among Burmese migrants in London: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Background: An estimated 10,000 Burmese migrants are currently living in London. No studies have been conducted on their access to health services. Furthermore, most studies on migrants in the United Kingdom (UK) have been conducted at the point of service provision, carrying the risk of selection bias.