Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background In order to accurately measure and monitor levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in older adults, cost efficient and valid instruments are required. To date, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) has not been validated with older adults (aged 60 years plus) in the United Kingdom. The current study aimed to test the validity of the IPAQ in a group of older adults for both MVPA and SB. Methods Participants wore an Actigraph GT3X+ for seven consecutive days and following the monitor wear participants were asked to complete the IPAQ. Statistical analysis included: Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests; descriptive analyses; Spearman’s rho coefficients; and Bland-Altman analyses. Results A sample of 253 older adults were recruited (mean age 71.8 years (SD 6.6) and 57% male). In total, 226 had valid accelerometer and IPAQ data for MVPA and 228 had valid data for SB. Results showed the IPAQ had moderate/acceptable levels of validity ( r  = .430–.557) for MVPA. For SB, there was substantial levels of validity on weekdays ( r  = .702) and fair levels of validity ( r  = .257) on weekend days. Bland-Altman analysis showed inherent measurement error with the majority of participants tending to under-report both MVPA and SB. Results showed the majority of older adult’s under-report their level of MVPA and SB when completing the IPAQ and the linear relationship above the mean shows an error from under to over reporting as the mean increases. Conclusions Findings from the current study suggest that the IPAQ is better implemented in larger surveillance studies comparing groups within or between countries rather than on an individual basis. Findings also suggest that the IPAQ validity scores could be strengthened by providing additional detail of types of activities older adults might do on a daily basis, improving recall; and it may also be necessary to provide an example of a daily break down of typical activities performed. This may enable older adults to more fully comprehend the amount of time they may spend active, sitting and/or lying during waking hours.

Giraffe ( Giraffa spp.) are among the most unique extant mammals in terms of anatomy, phylogeny, and ecology. However, aspects of their evolution, ontogeny, and taxonomy are unresolved, retaining lingering questions that are pivotal for their conservation. We assembled the largest known dataset of Giraffa skulls (n = 515) to investigate patterns of cranial variability using 3D geometric morphometrics. The results show distinct sexual dimorphism and divergent ontogenetic trajectories of skull shape for the north clade ( G . camelopardalis antiquorum , G . c . camelopardalis , G . c . peralta , and G . reticulata ) and the south clade ( G . giraffa angolensis , G . g . giraffa , G . tippelskirchi tippelskirchi , and G . t . thornicrofti ) which was further supported statistically. Discriminant functions found statistically significant cranial shape differences between all four Giraffa species, and in some cases also between subspecies of the same species. Our 3D morphometric analysis shows that the four genetically distinct Giraffa spp. also have distinct cranial morphologies, largely addressable to features of display (ossicones). Our results highlight the importance of focusing future giraffe conservation efforts on each taxon to maintain their unique characteristics and biodiversity in the wild.

Background Evidence for the health benefits of urban green space tends to stem from small, short-term quasi-experimental or cross-sectional observational research, whilst evidence from intervention studies is sparse. The development of an urban greenway (9 km running along 3 rivers) in Northern Ireland provided the opportunity to conduct a natural experiment. This study investigated the public health impact of the urban greenway on a range of physical activity, health, wellbeing, social, and perceptions of the environment outcomes. Methods A repeated cross-sectional household survey of adult residents (aged ≥16 years) who lived ≤1-mile radius of the greenway (intervention sample) and > 1-mile radius of the greenway (control sample) was conducted pre (2010/2011) and 6-months post implementation (2016/2017). We assessed changes in outcomes pre- and post-intervention follow-up including physical activity behaviour (primary outcome measure: Global Physical Activity Questionnaire), quality of life, mental wellbeing, social capital and perceptions of the built environment. Linear regression was used to calculate the mean difference between post-intervention and baseline measures adjusting for age, season, education, car ownership and deprivation. Multi-level models were fitted using a random intercept at the super output area (smallest geographical unit) to account for clustering within areas. The analyses were stratified by distance from the greenway and deprivation. We assessed change in the social patterning of outcomes over time using an ordered logit to make model-based outcome predictions across strata. Results The mean ages of intervention samples were 50.3 (SD 18.9) years at baseline ( n  = 1037) and 51.7 (SD 19.1) years at follow-up ( n  = 968). Post-intervention, 65% (adjusted OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.00) of residents who lived closest to the greenway (i.e., ≤400 m) and 60% (adjusted OR, 0.64 95% CI 0.41 to 0.99) who lived furthest from the greenway (i.e.,≥1200 m) met the physical activity guidelines - 68% of the intervention sample met the physical activity guidelines before the intervention. Residents in the most deprived quintiles had a similar reduction in physical activity behaviour as residents in less deprived quintiles. Quality of life at follow-up compared to baseline declined and this decline was significantly less than in the control area (adjusted differences in mean EQ5D: -11.0 (95% CI − 14.5 to − 7.4); − 30.5 (95% CI − 37.9 to − 23.2). Significant change in mental wellbeing was not observed despite improvements in some indicators of social capital. Positive perceptions of the local environment in relation to its attractiveness, traffic and safety increased. Conclusions Our findings illustrate the major challenge of evaluating complex urban interventions and the difficulty of capturing and measuring the network of potential variables that influence or hinder meaningful outcomes. The results indicate at this stage no intervention effect for improvements in population-level physical activity behaviour or mental wellbeing. However, they show some modest improvements for secondary outcomes including positive perceptions of the environment and social capital constructs. The public health impact of urban greenways may take a longer period of time to be realised and there is a need to improve evaluation methodology that captures the complex systems nature of urban regeneration.

The taxonomy of giraffe ( Giraffa spp.) has a long and complex history, with scientists debating merits of various classification schemes. Currently, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises giraffe as a single species ( G. camelopardalis ), based primarily on analyses of pelage patterns and geographic distribution carried out ~ 60 years ago. However, recent scientific findings on distribution and pelage pattern, along with detailed genomic analyses, have revealed inconsistencies with the existing classification, emphasizing the need for a reassessment. We conducted a systematic review of the taxonomic history of giraffe and evaluated the various classification schemes applied to the genus Giraffa . We describe these and summarise the distinguishing characteristics used for taxonomic assessments to lump or split different giraffe species and subspecies. Recent research aligns with taxonomic principles that support the hypothesis that there are four giraffe species, each of which is genetically distinct, with clear delineation between different monophyletic clades that are indicative of a long history of reproductive isolation in the wild. Based on genomic evidence supporting four reproductively isolated lineages that have been separated for hundreds of thousands of years, we urge the use of this designation in international treaties and the IUCN. We place the findings from our review in the context of the threats facing giraffe populations across their distributional range and highlight the need for incorporating up-to-date and more comprehensive data to inform conservation management of these threatened species.

Conservation translocations are increasingly important for restoring and augmenting wild populations of extirpated species or those diminishing rapidly. Assessing the effectiveness of translocation outcomes requires a clear understanding of success metrics and long‐term monitoring data. As such, the outcomes of conservation translocations remain underreported, limiting their potential for informing adaptive management and future translocation efforts. Here, we assess the post‐translocation demography of multiple populations of the critically endangered Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Uganda. Since 2015, there have been a series of giraffe conservation translocations designed to reintroduce them to habitats where they were previously extirpated and to reinforce a small population. In 2015, Nubian giraffe were found in only two protected areas in Uganda: Murchison Falls National Park (NP) (north of the Nile River) and Kidepo Valley NP. Through several conservation translocations that used Murchison Falls NP as a source population, Nubian giraffe were translocated to Lake Mburo NP, Murchison Falls NP (south of the Nile River), and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, while the population in Kidepo Valley NP was reinforced. In this study, we evaluated the post‐translocation demography of all Nubian giraffe populations in Uganda. Using individual‐based photographic surveys and a combination of complete enumeration and mark‐recapture analyses with Cormack Jolly Seber modeling, we estimated abundance and survival rates for all giraffe populations. After an average post‐translocation latency period of 36 months, all giraffe populations in Uganda showed subsequent population growth and high survival rates across all age classes. Additionally, the donor population in northern Murchison Falls NP continued to show positive population growth. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of translocations and monitoring as conservation tools for the critically endangered Nubian giraffe in Uganda. Such comparisons allow for critical evaluations of post‐translocation ecology and can be used to inform best practices for future translocation activities. Conservation translocations are crucial for restoring and bolstering wild populations of species that are either extirpated or rapidly declining. Evaluating their success requires understanding population ecology metrics and conducting long‐term monitoring, yet outcomes are often underreported. In this study, we assessed the post‐translocation demography of Nubian giraffes in Uganda, using an individual‐based photographic database and mark‐recapture analyses to find that after an average latency of 36 months, all populations exhibited growth and high survival rates, highlighting the effectiveness of these conservation efforts.

Background The ability to ‘age in place’ is dependent on a range of inter-personal, social and built environment attributes, with the latter being a key area for potential intervention. There is an emerging body of evidence that indicates the type of built environment features that may best support age friendly communities, but there is a need to expand and consolidate this, while generating a better understanding of how on how research findings can be most effectively be translated in to policy and practice. Methods The study is based on two case study cities, Curtiba (Brazil) and Belfast (UK), which have highly contrasting physical, social and policy environments. The study deploys a mix methods approach, mirrored in each city. This includes the recruitment of 300 participants in each city to wear GPS and accelerometers, a survey capturing physical functioning and other personal attributes, as well as their perception of their local environment using NEWS-A. The study will also measure the built environments of the cities using GIS and develop a tool for auditing the routes used by participants around their neighbourhoods. The study seeks to comparatively map the policy actors and resources involved in healthy ageing in the two cities through interviews, focus groups and discourse analysis. Finally, the study has a significant knowledge exchange component, including the development of a tool to assess the capacities of both researchers and research users to maximise the impact of the research findings. Discussion The HULAP study has been designed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary team and integrates differing methodologies to purposefully impact on policy and practice on healthy ageing in high and low-middle income countries. It has particular strengths in its combination of objective and self-reported measures using validated tools and the integration of GPS, accelerometer and GIS data to provide a robust assessment of ‘spatial energetics’. The strong knowledge exchange strand means that the study is expected to also contribute to our understanding of how to maximise research impact in this field and create effective evidence for linking older adult’s physical activity with the social, built and policy environments.

The West African giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis peralta , the rarest giraffe subspecies, is one of the least studied taxa of the African megafauna in terms of anatomy, physiology, and taxonomy due to the limited material hosted in museum collections. Here, we discuss specific morphological features of the holotype of this subspecies, re‐evaluate its diagnostic characteristics and expand our knowledge of the morphology of the taxon with the addition of specimens collected in the wild. Our results show that G. c. peralta is not a subspecies of ‘gigantic’ proportions, as indicated in previous studies. This misunderstanding arose from the misidentification of the holotype specimen (NHMUK‐ZD‐1898.2.19.1) as a female instead of a male. The only other G. c. peralta specimen, which is hosted in the same collections in the Natural History Museum of London (NHMUK‐ZD‐1904.11.2.2), is a male of morphology and size much closer to that of an average G . camelopardalis male. Our findings show that in comparison to other giraffe subspecies the dimensions of G. c. peralta are as metrically expected and reveal preliminary evidence of the strongest sexual size dimorphism in the genus Giraffa . We further suggest that the holotype should be relabeled as a male. The evolutionary history and the phylogenetic position of G . c . peralta are discussed, favoring the mixing‐isolation‐mixing pattern with the Kordofan giraffe ( G. c. antiquorum ).

One current issue that exists within the field of life care planning is the potential of entering into a dual, or multiple relationship (P. Deutsch & L. Allison, personal communication, July 23, 2004). The purpose of this article is to help readers acquire a better understanding of the ethical issues for life care planners when faced with multiple relationships. This article will address the potential threats related to engaging in multiple relationships, discuss guidance offered by codes of ethics pertinent to life care planners, and describe safeguards to protect the client and practitioner from the possible harm of multiple relationships.

Actinic keratosis (AK) is a common precancerous skin lesion and many AK management guidelines exist, but there has been limited investigation into the quality of these documents. The objective of this study was to assess the strengths and weaknesses of guidelines that address AK management. A systematic search for guidelines with recommendations for AK was performed. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) was used to appraise the quality of guidelines. Multiple raters independently reviewed each of the guidelines and applied the AGREE II tool and scores were calculated. Overall, 2,307 citations were identified and 7 fulfilled the study criteria. The Cancer Council of Australia/Australian Cancer Network guideline had the highest mean scores and was the only guideline to include a systematic review, include an evidence rating for recommendations, and report conflicts of interest and funding sources. High-quality, effective guidelines are evidence-based with recommendations that are concise and organized, so practical application is facilitated. Features such as concise tables, pictorial diagrams, and explicit links to evidence are helpful. However, the rigor and validity of some guidelines were weak. So, it is important for providers to be aware of the features that contribute to a high-quality, practical document.