Integrating basic and applied research to estimate carnivore abundance.

A clear connection between basic research and applied management is often missing or difficult to discern. We present a case study of integration of basic research with applied management for estimating abundance of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Montana, USA. Estimating wolf abundance is a key component of wolf management but is costly and time intensive as wolf populations continue to grow.

Economical defence of resources structures territorial space use in a cooperative carnivore.

Ecologists have long sought to understand space use and mechanisms underlying patterns observed in nature. We developed an optimality landscape and mechanistic territory model to understand mechanisms driving space use and compared model predictions to empirical reality. We demonstrate our approach using grey wolves ().

Habitat selection by wolves and mountain lions during summer in western Montana.

In the Northern Rockies of the United States, predators like wolves (Canis lupus) and mountain lions (Puma concolor) have been implicated in fluctuations or declines in populations of game species like elk (Cervus canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). In particular, local distributions of these predators may affect ungulate behavior, use of space, and dynamics. Our goal was to develop generalizable predictions of habitat selection by wolves and mountain lions across western Montana.

Assessing the robustness of time-to-event models for estimating unmarked wildlife abundance using remote cameras.

Recently developed methods, including time-to-event and space-to-event models, estimate the abundance of unmarked populations from encounter rates with camera trap arrays, addressing a gap in noninvasive wildlife monitoring. However, estimating abundance from encounter rates relies on assumptions that can be difficult to meet in the field, including random movement, population closure, and an accurate estimate of movement speed. Understanding how these models respond to violation of these assumptions will assist in making them more applicable in real-world settings.

Evidence of economical territory selection in a cooperative carnivore.

As an outcome of natural selection, animals are probably adapted to select territories economically by maximizing benefits and minimizing costs of territory ownership. Theory and empirical precedent indicate that a primary benefit of many territories is exclusive access to food resources, and primary costs of defending and using space are associated with competition, travel and mortality risk. A recently developed mechanistic model for economical territory selection provided numerous empirically testable predictions.

Prehospital Care of Pediatric Hypoglycemic Seizure Patients in the State of North Carolina: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Pediatric seizures are commonly encountered in emergency medical services (EMS). Evidence is accumulating that the rate of hypoglycemia in this setting is low, challenging the concept of routine prehospital glucose measurement.

Objective: We studied factors associated with EMS protocol compliance for glucose testing in children < 18 years of age with a 9-1-1 call for seizure as well as rates of hypoglycemia in the prehospital setting.

Native forage mediates influence of irrigated agriculture on migratory behaviour of elk.

Ungulates migrate to maximize nutritional intake when forage varies seasonally. Populations of ungulates often include both migratory and non-migratory individuals, but the mechanisms driving individual differences in migratory behaviour are not well-understood. We quantified associations between hypothesized drivers of partial migration and the likelihood of migration for individual ungulates that experienced a range of environmental conditions and anthropogenic influences.

Pediatric Needle Cricothyrotomy: A Case for Simulation in Prehospital Medicine.

Introduction: A patient that cannot be oxygenated or ventilated requires immediate and effective assessment, treatment, and transportation. Pediatric needle cricothyrotomy is used infrequently, therefore providers have a tendency to lose proficiency. Simulation training and evaluation are valuable tools to improve provider experience and skill.

Effects of breeder turnover and harvest on group composition and recruitment in a social carnivore.

Breeder turnover can influence population growth in social carnivores through changes to group size, composition and recruitment. Studies that possess detailed group composition data that can provide insights about the effects of breeder turnover on groups have generally been conducted on species that are not subject to recurrent annual human harvest. We wanted to know how breeder turnover affects group composition and how harvest, in turn, affects breeder turnover in cooperatively breeding grey wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus 1758).

Harvest and group effects on pup survival in a cooperative breeder.

Recruitment in cooperative breeders can be negatively affected by changes in group size and composition. The majority of cooperative breeding studies have not evaluated human harvest; therefore, the effects of recurring annual harvest and group characteristics on survival of young are poorly understood. We evaluated how harvest and groups affect pup survival using genetic sampling and pedigrees for grey wolves in North America.

A Modified Delphi Study for Development of a Pediatric Curriculum for Emergency Medicine Residents.

Objectives: Emergency medicine (EM) trainees are expected to learn to provide acute care for patients of all ages. The American Council for Graduate Medical Education provides some guidance on topics related to caring for pediatric patients; however, education about pediatric topics varies across residency programs. The goal of this project was to develop a consensus curriculum for teaching pediatric emergency care.

Rightful Discharge: Making "Termination" Mean It Is Really Over: Part 1-Issues and Legislation.

One of the most difficult undertakings for any employer is carrying out a decision to terminate an employee. Of all the employment-related actions taken by employers, the act of termination creates the greatest risk of legal liability. Many claims of employment discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission arise from the act of termination.

Rightful Discharge: Making "Termination" Mean It's REALLY Over Part 2-Proper Documentation.

The importance of proper documentation when taking any type of disciplinary action, particularly a termination, cannot be overstated. Proper documentation is a fundamental requirement placed upon employers by the courts when determining whether a termination is "legal." The following sample forms do not encompass all types of documentation that may be required for a given set of circumstances; they do provide the framework for health care managers to fashion their own forms to fit their employer's needs.

Dress codes and appearance policies: challenges under federal legislation, part 3: Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the National Labor Relations Act.

As more and more individuals express themselves with tattoos and body piercings and push the envelope on what is deemed appropriate in the workplace, employers have an increased need for creation and enforcement of reasonable dress codes and appearance policies. As with any employment policy or practice, an appearance policy must be implemented and enforced without regard to an individual's race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age, or any other protected status. A policy governing dress and appearance based on the business needs of an employer that is applied fairly and consistently and does not have a disproportionate effect on any protected class will generally be upheld if challenged in court.

Snowshoe hares display limited phenotypic plasticity to mismatch in seasonal camouflage.

As duration of snow cover decreases owing to climate change, species undergoing seasonal colour moults can become colour mismatched with their background. The immediate adaptive solution to this mismatch is phenotypic plasticity, either in phenology of seasonal colour moults or in behaviours that reduce mismatch or its consequences. We observed nearly 200 snowshoe hares across a wide range of snow conditions and two study sites in Montana, USA, and found minimal plasticity in response to mismatch between coat colour and background.

Dress codes and appearance policies: challenges under federal legislation, part 2: title VII of the civil rights act and gender.

As more and more individuals express themselves with tattoos and body piercings and push the envelope on what is deemed appropriate in the workplace, employers have an increased need for creation and enforcement of reasonable dress codes and appearance policies. As with any employment policy or practice, an appearance policy must be implemented and enforced without regard to an individual's race, color, gender, national origin, religion, disability, age, or other protected status. A policy governing dress and appearance based on the business needs of an employer that is applied fairly and consistently and does not have a disproportionate effect on any protected class will generally be upheld if challenged in court.

Dress codes and appearance policies: challenges under federal legislation, part 1: title VII of the civil rights act and religion.

As more and more individuals choose to express themselves and their religious beliefs with headwear, jewelry, dress, tattoos, and body piercings and push the envelope on what is deemed appropriate in the workplace, employers have an increased need for creation and enforcement of reasonable dress codes and appearance policies. As with any employment policy or practice, an appearance policy must be implemented and enforced without regard to an individual's race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age, or any other protected status. A policy governing dress and appearance based on the business needs of an employer that is applied fairly and consistently and does not have a disproportionate effect on any protected class will generally be upheld if challenged in court.

Determining Occurrence Dynamics when False Positives Occur: Estimating the Range Dynamics of Wolves from Public Survey Data.

Large-scale presence-absence monitoring programs have great promise for many conservation applications. Their value can be limited by potential incorrect inferences owing to observational errors, especially when data are collected by the public. To combat this, previous analytical methods have focused on addressing non-detection from public survey data.

Guidelines for conducting bulletproof workplace investigations: Part II--searches, surveillance, and other legal issues.

A proper and thorough investigation can help avoid or successfully defend lawsuits. When conducting workplace investigations, employers must take care to conduct reasonable searches and not violate employees' rights to privacy. This article addresses privacy and other legal issues surrounding the use of various types of electronic surveillance including wiretapping, video/photography, and monitoring of e-mail.

X-ray crystal structure of the streptococcal specific phage lysin PlyC.

Bacteriophages deploy lysins that degrade the bacterial cell wall and facilitate virus egress from the host. When applied exogenously, these enzymes destroy susceptible microbes and, accordingly, have potential as therapeutic agents. The most potent lysin identified to date is PlyC, an enzyme assembled from two components (PlyCA and PlyCB) that is specific for streptococcal species.

Guidelines for conducting bulletproof workplace investigations: part I--preparation and interviewing issues.

Conducting proper and thorough investigations is one of the most important and most difficult responsibilities for today's health care manager in terms of avoiding or successfully defending lawsuits. This article provides guidance for managers on how to use proper interview and investigative techniques while avoiding a violation of employees' rights to privacy. Suggestions are provided on how to protect confidential information obtained by the investigation.

Paramedic King Laryngeal Tube airway insertion versus endotracheal intubation in simulated pediatric respiratory arrest.

Introduction: Pediatric endotracheal intubation (ETI) is difficult and can have serious adverse events when performed by paramedics in the prehospital setting. Paramedics may use the King Laryngeal Tube airway (KLT) in difficult adult airways, but only limited data describe their application in pediatric patients.

Objective: To compare paramedic airway insertion speed and complications between KLT and ETI in a simulated model of pediatric respiratory arrest.

Emergency department crowding is associated with decreased quality of analgesia delivery for children with pain related to acute, isolated, long-bone fractures.

Objectives: The authors sought to determine which quality measures of analgesia delivery are most influenced by emergency department (ED) crowding for pediatric patients with long-bone fractures.

Methods: This cross-sectional, retrospective study included patients 0-21 years seen for acute, isolated long-bone fractures, November 2007 to October 2008, at a children's hospital ED. Nine quality measures were studied: six were based on the timeliness (1-hour receipt) and effectiveness (receipt/nonreceipt) of three fracture-related processes: pain score, any analgesic, and opioid analgesic administration.