A before-after control-impact assessment to understand the potential impacts of highway construction noise and activity on an endangered songbird.

Anthropogenic noise associated with highway construction and operation can have individual- and population-level consequences for wildlife (e.g., reduced densities, decreased reproductive success, behavioral changes).

Predicting patch occupancy in fragmented landscapes at the rangewide scale for an endangered species: an example of an American warbler.

AIM: Our objective was to identify the distribution of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) in fragmented oak-juniper woodlands by applying a geoadditive semiparametric occupancy model to better assist decision-makers in identifying suitable habitat across the species breeding range on which conservation or mitigation activities can be focused and thus prioritize management and conservation planning. LOCATION: Texas, USA. METHODS: We used repeated double-observer detection/non-detection surveys of randomly selected (n = 287) patches of potential habitat to evaluate warbler patch-scale presence across the species breeding range.

The GDC - lifting the lid. Part 5: illegal practice.

In its primary role of protecting the public the General Dental Council has many tools at its disposal, one of which is pursing those who seek to practise dentistry illegally. Such illegal practice takes several different forms: dentists who have been erased or removed from the register but continue to practise, unregistered dental technicians who practise dentistry, and beauty salons that offer tooth whitening. Consequently a variety of approaches is required in order to apprehend the miscreant and persuade, prevent and even prosecute them in the process of stopping their illegal activities.

The GDC - lifting the lid. Part 4: fitness to practise.

As an organisation whose function is to protect the public, the General Dental Council's role in investigating complaints about dentists and dental care professionals dealing suitably with those who have been shown to practise in an unprofessional or dangerous manner is obviously of paramount importance. This article looks at the GDC's fitness to practise procedures - the system that looks into complaints and allegations of malpractice about dental practitioners. It outlines the different stages in the process and introduces some of the many people involved with the efficient running of this vital service.

The GDC--lifting the lid. Part 3: education, CPD and revalidation.

This third article in the series looks at the areas of education, continuing professional development and the forthcoming introduction of revalidation, which form a 'continuum of quality assurance' through a dentist's professional life and ensure that standards of dentistry remain high. The article introduces some of the key members of staff involved with education at the General Dental Council and details some of the complicated issues involved with regulating dental education from undergraduate level onwards.