Rate of removal of bird carcasses in arable farmland by predators and scavengers.

Studies requiring carcasses to be retrieved to detect mortality and its causes in wildlife can be difficult to interpret due to removal of carcasses by scavengers. This paper describes two linked studies measuring rate of removal of carcasses from farmland in the UK, carried out to inform the results of a pesticide study involving carcass searching. In winter, 6% of carcasses had been removed 24 h after placement, and 32% had been removed 96 h after placement; wild bird carcasses were removed significantly faster than those of artificially reared birds.

Efficacy of an individualized adherence support program with contingent reinforcement among nonadherent HIV-positive patients: results from a randomized trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a program designed to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy among patients with poor adherence.

Methods: A randomized intervention trial was conducted among 90 HIV-positive patients experiencing treatment failure as a result of noncompliance with their medication regimen. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to an adherence case management intervention with monetary reinforcement (CM) or to a standard of care group (SC).

Estimating the rate of poisoning by insecticide-treated seeds in a bird population.

Poisonings of granivorous birds by cereal seed treatments have been reported in the UK, but the true frequency of poisonings is unknown. We aimed to measure the rate of mortality due to poisoning by seed treatments in woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) in an area of East Anglian farmland where the risk from these compounds appeared high. Woodpigeons were fitted with temperature-sensing radio-tags and monitored daily during the winters of 1994/95 and 1995/96.

Assessing potential exposure of birds to pesticide-treated seeds.

Seed treatments are widely used for crop protection and present a particular risk to granivorous birds. UK risk assessment for seed treatments has tended to focus on highly granivorous species; however, under some conditions, non-granivorous birds will take seeds. Better data is needed on which species eat seeds for which pesticide treatments are used.