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1. The recently developed Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) has advantages over traditional methods because it quantifies the utilization distribution of an animal based on its movement path rather than individual points and accounts for temporal autocorrelation and high data volumes. However, the BBMM assumes unrealistic homogeneous movement behaviour across all data. 2. Accurate quantification of the utilization distribution is important for identifying the way animals use the landscape. 3. We improve the BBMM by allowing for changes in behaviour, using likelihood statistics to determine change points along the animal's movement path. 4. This novel extension, outperforms the current BBMM as indicated by simulations and examples of a territorial mammal and a migratory bird. The unique ability of our model to work with tracks that are not sampled regularly is especially important for GPS tags that have frequent failed fixes or dynamic sampling schedules. Moreover, our model extension provides a useful one-dimensional measure of behavioural change along animal tracks. 5. This new method provides a more accurate utilization distribution that better describes the space use of realistic, behaviourally heterogeneous tracks.

Greenspaces, including parks, provide various socio-ecological benefits such as for aesthetics, temperature remediation, biodiversity conservation, and outdoor recreation. The health benefits of urban greenspaces have received particular attention since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has triggered various movement restrictions and lifestyle changes, including regarding the frequency of people’s visits to greenspaces. Using mobile-tracking GPS data of Kanazawa citizens, we explored how citizens’ behaviors with respect to outings changed before and during Japan’s declaration of a COVID-19 state of emergency (April–May 2020). We also examined citizens’ greenspace visits in relation to their travel distance from home. We found that Kanazawa citizens avoided going out during the pandemic, with a decrease in the number, time, and distance of outings. As for the means of transportation, the percentage of outings by foot increased on both weekdays and holidays. While citizens refrained from going out, the percentage change of the percentage in large greenspace visits increased very slightly in 2020. As for greenspace visitation in 2020 compared to 2019, we found that citizens generally visited greenspaces closer to their homes, actually increasing visitation of nearby (within 1000 m) greenspaces. This study of how outing behaviors and greenspace use by Kanazawa citizens have changed underscores the value of nearby greenspaces for physical and mental health during movement restrictions under the pandemic.

Nickel is a heavy metal used in many industries. Nickel exposure can induce respiratory diseases and allergic reactions, and increase cancer risk. This study evaluated the introduction of a grinding and polishing system to prevent injuries from nickel toxicity in workers. We performed a controlled, interventional, before-and-after study from January 2018 to December 2019 at a faucet component industrial manufacturing site. Results from workplace environmental monitoring, questionnaire responses, and biomonitoring were collected before and after the intervention. Thirty-seven workers (100% men) aged 25.0 (interquartile range (IQR): 22.0–33.5) years were categorized into two groups, those with and without nickel exposure. In the exposed group, the median exposure time was 18.0 months (IQR 14.0–20.0 months). Urinary nickel concentration was lower in the exposed group than in the non-exposed group (13.8 (IQR 1.7–20.7); 23.1 (IQR 11.3–32.8) μg/g creatinine, respectively; p = 0.047). The median urinary nickel concentration was lower in the second year than in the first year (17.4 (IQR 2.2–27.4), 7.7 (IQR 4.3–18.5) μg/g creatinine, respectively; p = 0.022). Significant reductions in urinary nickel concentration were observed following the intervention and educational program. Thus, biomonitoring of urinary nickel concentration can successfully reflect the effectiveness of interventions and their relationship to nickel exposure.

Background and Objectives: The global trend toward increased protection of medical personnel from occupational radiation exposure requires efforts to promote protection from radiation on a societal scale. To develop effective educational programs to promote radiation protection, we clarify the actual status and stage of behavioral changes of spine surgeons regarding radiation protection. Materials and Methods: We used a web-based questionnaire to collect information on the actual status of radiation protection and stages of behavioral change according to the transtheoretical model. The survey was administered to all members of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spinal Treatment from 5 October to 5 November 2020. Results: Of 324 members of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spinal Treatment, 229 (70.7%) responded. A total of 217 participants were analyzed, excluding 12 respondents who were not exposed to radiation in daily practice. A trunk lead protector was used by 215 (99%) participants, while 113 (53%) preferred an apron-type protector. Dosimeters, thyroid protector, lead glasses, and lead gloves were used by 108 (50%), 116 (53%), 82 (38%), and 64 (29%) participants, respectively. While 202 (93%) participants avoided continuous irradiation, only 120 (55%) were aware of the source of the radiation when determining their position in the room. Regarding the behavioral change stage of radiation protection, 134 (62%) participants were in the action stage, while 37 (17%) had not even reached the contemplation stage. Conclusions: We found that even among the members of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spinal Treatment, protection of all vulnerable body parts was not fully implemented. Thus, development of educational programs that cover the familiar risks of occupational radiation exposure, basic protection methods in the operating room, and the effects of such protection methods on reducing radiation exposure in actual clinical practice is warranted.

Approximately 65% of primate species are facing extinction, with threats including the impacts of linear infrastructures such as roads, railways, and power lines, associated with habitat loss and fragmentation, direct and indirect mortality, and changes in animal behavioral patterns. Nevertheless, this is an often-overlooked topic in primatology, and there is limited information on which regions and species are most affected by linear infrastructures. Here, we provide a global assessment of priority areas and primate species for conservation by integrating information from global-scale open-access data sets on the distributional ranges, traits, and threats to primate species and linear infrastructures, together with a systematic literature review and a questionnaire sent to primatological societies. We produced a bivariate map that reflects the patterns of co-occurrence of the Conservation Value and Infrastructure Density. From this map we highlight Primate Mitigation Areas (regions with high Primate Conservation Value and Infrastructure Density), which are areas where infrastructure mitigation should be prioritized; and the Primate Preservation Areas (regions with high Primate Conservation Value and low Infrastructure Density), which represent areas that should be preserved from further infrastructure development. Primate Mitigation Areas primarily include the Atlantic forest of Brazil, the Guinean forests of West Africa, and most of Southeastern Asia, whereas Primate Preservation Areas are found principally in the Amazon and Congo River basins. Our assessment also produced a list of priority species affected by infrastructures, with the great apes and gibbons ranking highest. Global infrastructure projects, especially the Belt and Road Initiative, can seriously affect both priority areas (particularly preservation areas) and the most vulnerable species, due to the massive sprawl of linear infrastructures and associated human activity. Thus, we call for dedicated strategic environmental and social assessments throughout these different economic corridors within the Belt and Road Initiative planning process, prior to developing the different projects. Our assessment can serve as a tool to coordinate management actions and legislation around the world.

Many social challenges stem from individuals’ tendency to prefer immediately rewarding but suboptimal behaviors (“Give-Up” options) over more costly endeavors that yield much better outcomes in the long run (“Try” options). For example, many people forgo the long-term benefits of formal education, healthy diets, learning new technologies, and even finding true love. This paper examines various incentivization programs that combine external rewards and punishments to discourage such counterproductive behaviors, which often result in only temporary behavioral change. Our findings suggest that some interventions’ limited impact may be due to their focus on only shifting behaviors from “Give-Up” (e.g., dropping out of college, avoiding the gym) to “Try” (e.g., attending college, exercising regularly), without promoting sufficient exploration of these “Try” options. Yet exploration of the long-term benefits of “Trying” may be crucial to increase the chances of long-term learning and commitment. Using a simplified abstraction of this dilemma, our results show a high tendency to choose “Give-Up” options prior to intervention. Examination of four different incentivization strategies suggests that only rewarding exploration of new “Try” options is a straightforward strategy to increase exploration and optimal choice. Punishing both the selection of “Give-Up” options and the choice to exploit suboptimal “Try” options produced similar results. Other common guidance strategies were less effective, as these strategies simply tended to replace one suboptimal behavior with another. Surprisingly, punishments seemed to be a relatively more successful incentive than rewards. We discuss how these insights can help guide policy aiming to improve long-term outcomes through incentivization.

While behavioural change interventions are utilized in low- and lower-middle-income countries and may be essential in reducing maternal and child mortality, evidence on the effectiveness of such interventions is lacking. This review provides evidence on the effectiveness of behavioural change interventions designed to improve maternal and child healthcare-seeking behaviour in low- and lower-middle-income countries. We searched three electronic databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) for articles published in English and French between January 2013 and December 2022. Studies that evaluated interventions to increase maternal and child healthcare utilization, including antenatal care, skilled birth care, postnatal care, immunization uptake, and medication or referral compliance, were included. We identified and included 17 articles in the review. Overall, 11 studies found significant effects of the behavioural change interventions on the desired healthcare outcomes, 3 found partially significant effects, and 3 did not observe any significant impact. A major gap identified in the literature was the lack of studies reporting the effect of behavioural change interventions on women's non-cognitive and personality characteristics, as recent evidence suggests the importance of these factors in maternal and child healthcare-seeking behaviour in low-resource settings. This review highlights some intervention areas that show encouraging trends in maternal and child healthcare-seeking behaviours, including social influence, health education, and nudging through text message reminders. Bien que les interventions visant à modifier les comportements soient utilisées dans les pays à faibles et moyens revenus et qu'elles pourraient être essentielles pour réduire la mortalité maternelle et infantile, les preuves de l'efficacité de telles interventions font défaut. Cette revue synthétise les preuves de l'efficacité des interventions de changement de comportement conçues pour améliorer le recours aux soins maternels et infantiles dans les pays à faibles et moyens revenus. Nous avons identifiés dans trois bases de données électroniques (PUBMED, EMBASE et PsycINFO) les articles publiés en anglais et en français entre janvier 2013 et décembre 2022. Les études qui évaluaient les interventions visant à accroître l'utilisation des soins de santé maternelle et infantile, y compris les soins prénatals, les soins d'accouchement par du personnel qualifié, les soins postnatals, la vaccination et l'observance des traitements médicamenteux ou de référence, ont été incluses. Nous avons identifié et inclus 17 articles dans la revue. Dans l'ensemble, 11 études mettent en évidence des effets significatifs des interventions visant à modifier les comportements en matière de soins de santé, 3 mettent en évidence des effets partiellement significatifs et 3 n'observent pas d'impact significatif. Une lacune majeure dans la littérature est le manque d'études rapportant l'effet des interventions de changement de comportement sur les caractéristiques non cognitives et de personnalité des femmes, alors que des travaux récents suggèrent l'importance de ces facteurs pour le recours aux soins de santé pour la mère et l'enfant dans les environnements à faibles ressources. Cette étude met en lumière certains domaines d'interventions qui encourageraient les comportements de recours aux soins des mères et des enfants, notamment l'influence sociale, l'éducation à la santé et l'incitation par le biais de rappels par SMS.

When a developer pushes a change to an application’s codebase, a good practice is to have a test case specifying this behavioral change. Thanks to continuous integration (CI), the test is run on subsequent commits to check that they do no introduce a regression for that behavior. In this paper, we propose an approach that detects behavioral changes in commits. As input, it takes a program, its test suite, and a commit. Its output is a set of test methods that capture the behavioral difference between the pre-commit and post-commit versions of the program. We call our approach DCI (Detecting behavioral changes in CI). It works by generating variations of the existing test cases through (i) assertion amplification and (ii) a search-based exploration of the input space. We evaluate our approach on a curated set of 60 commits from 6 open source Java projects. To our knowledge, this is the first ever curated dataset of real-world behavioral changes. Our evaluation shows that DCI is able to generate test methods that detect behavioral changes. Our approach is fully automated and can be integrated into current development processes. The main limitations are that it targets unit tests and works on a relatively small fraction of commits. More specifically, DCI works on commits that have a unit test that already executes the modified code. In practice, from our benchmark projects, we found 15.29% of commits to meet the conditions required by DCI.

Over the past decade, global malaria-related mortality has declined dramatically because of combined international actions that have defined and prioritized national and regional efforts to reduce the incidence of malaria, with the ultimate goal of eradication. Vector control strategies using insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) in African countries have contributed significantly to the declining incidence of malaria. However, the effectiveness of malaria control is threatened by increasing insecticide resistance and behavioral changes in Anopheles vectors. Thus, there is an urgent need to ensure that future programmes are designed to address these threats and protect the progress made so far in controlling malaria. This review summarizes the current malaria vector control tools and discusses about the critical threats to vector control programme and vector management.

Mental health first aid (MHFA) has gained popularity over the years. This study retrospectively maps the MHFA intervention to characterise its content using the Behavioural Change Wheel to identify the active ingredients and mechanisms of action. Three data sources formed the data for the current study. Namely, the MHFA training manual, a roleplay video demonstrating how to implement the intervention, and interviews with six participants of whom five were MHFAers and five were MHFA recipients, on their experiences of the MHFA intervention. The interview data source formed part of the EMPOWER trial. The study presented here utilised a two-step approach: a) The MHFA intervention was described using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) framework, and b) the content was analysed to identify the behavioural change techniques (BCTs) using the behavioural change techniques taxonomy version 1 and intervention functions using the behavioural change wheel. The mechanisms of action were specified using the capability, opportunity, motivation model of behaviour and theoretical domains framework. Twelve BCTs and four intervention functions were identified across the three data sources. Only social support BCTs and the intervention functions of enablement and persuasion were consistently identified across the three data sources in the MHFA. The most frequent mechanisms of action were reflective motivation (particularly 'beliefs about capabilities' and 'goals') and social opportunity (particularly 'social influences'). The MHFA intervention incorporates BCTs to increase reflective motivation and social opportunity to seek help for mental health concerns. However, psychological capability and physical opportunity need to be addressed to enhance help-seeking behaviours in those experiencing mental health difficulties. Future research should evaluate the impact of integrating additional BCTs and intervention functions into the MHFA programme to determine the most effective combination for promoting help-seeking behaviour and improving mental health outcomes.