Movement ecology of an endangered mesopredator in a mining landscape.

BACKGROUND: Efficient movement and energy expenditure are vital for animal survival. Human disturbance can alter animal movement due to changes in resource availability and threats. Some animals can exploit anthropogenic disturbances for more efficient movement, while others face restricted or inefficient movement due to fragmentation of high-resource habitats, and risks associated with disturbed habitats. Mining, a major anthropogenic disturbance, removes natural habitats, introduces new landscape features, and alters resource distribution in the landscape. This study investigates the effect of mining on the movement of an endangered mesopredator, the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus). Using GPS collars and accelerometers, we investigate their habitat selection and energy expenditure in an active mining landscape, to determine the effects of this disturbance on northern quolls. METHODS: We fit northern quolls with GPS collars and accelerometers during breeding and non-breeding season at an active mine site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. We investigated broad-scale movement by calculating the movement ranges of quolls using utilisation distributions at the 95% isopleth, and compared habitat types and environmental characteristics within observed movement ranges to the available landscape. We investigated fine-scale movement by quolls with integrated step selection functions, assessing the relative selection strength for each habitat covariate. Finally, we used piecewise structural equation modelling to analyse the influence of each habitat covariate on northern quoll energy expenditure. RESULTS: At the broad scale, northern quolls predominantly used rugged, rocky habitats, and used mining habitats in proportion to their availability. However, at the fine scale, habitat use varied between breeding and non-breeding seasons. During the breeding season, quolls notably avoided mining habitats, whereas in the non-breeding season, they frequented mining habitats equally to rocky and riparian habitats, albeit at a higher energetic cost. CONCLUSION: Mining impacts northern quolls by fragmenting favoured rocky habitats, increasing energy expenditure, and potentially impacting breeding dispersal. While mining habitats might offer limited resource opportunities in the non-breeding season, conservation efforts during active mining, including the creation of movement corridors and progressive habitat restoration would likely be useful. However, prioritising the preservation of natural rocky and riparian habitats in mining landscapes is vital for northern quoll conservation.

Turning toward death together: conversation in mortal time.

Death has a different meaning for everyone it touches, and these meanings have serious impact on how each person communicates with others as they deal with it together. This paper is a reflection on clinical experience in dealing with the dying and their caregivers in a comprehensive cancer center. By "mortal time," we mean the psychological state human beings enter when confronted with the prospect of death. Our focus is on a particular and powerful instance of the entry into mortal time--the diagnosis of a terminal illness. The experience of mortal time is profoundly subjective. Authentic conversation has the power not only to enhance how people cope practically with dying, but to illuminate and enrich the very meaning of life for patients and caregivers alike, as they enter the sacred moment of mortal time together.

Double-blind comparison of a dithranol and steroid mixture with a conventional dithranol regimen for chronic psoriasis.

Twenty four of 30 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis completed a double-blind randomized paired comparison of dithranol in Lassar's paste versus dithranol and fluocinonide in Lassar's paste. There was a more rapid reduction in severity of the psoriasis on the side treated with the dithranol and fluocinonide mixture, but no difference in the final time to clearance between the two sides. There were fewer burning episodes on the side treated with dithranol and fluocinonide and greater staining of the skin. Of the 20 patients who were subsequently followed up for up to 3 months, 11 had relapsed more on the side treated with dithranol and fluocinonide, two on the side treated with dithranol alone and in seven there was no appreciable difference. It was concluded that the addition of a topical steroid to a conventional dithranol regimen produced more rapid initial clearance and less burning, but more rapid relapse of the psoriasis.

Preliminary identification of a low molecular weight serological mediator in chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Sixteen patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria were skin tested with their own serum, IO with autologous plasma and five with serum that had been heated to 56 degrees C to inactivate complement. Eight showed a weal and flare response to whole serum, four to plasma and five to heat-treated serum. All serum-positive patients showed the same response to their own plasma and to heated serum, indicating that the mediator concerned is not generated by clotting and is not dependent on a functioning complement pathway. Three control subjects were negative to autologous serum, plasma and heated serum. Local tachyphylaxis was demonstrated in five serum-positive patients on reinjection of the same site with autologous serum on 3 consecutive days. This raises the possibility that the serological mediator may be acting by mast cell degranulation or directly on receptors in blood vessels and that repeated injections could induce a change in the number of receptors. Passage of whole autologous serum from four serum-positive patients through ultrafiltration membranes showed that fractions with a molecular weight of less than 30,000 daltons were still able to produce a positive skin test response, but those less than 1000 daltons were not. All serum fractions from two serum-negative patients and three normal controls were negative. Whole autologous serum from five serum-positive patients and two control subjects were separated by column chromatography. On skin testing with pooled fractions, the greatest response was produced by fractions of 10,000-15,000 daltons in the serum-positive patients, but there was no response in the controls.

Pseudoainhum and erythropoietic protoporphyria.

We report the development of pseudoainhum in a patient with erythropoietic protoporphyria, the first report, to our knowledge, of these two unusual conditions occurring together. An excellent cosmetic and functional result was achieved with a Z plasty.

Level of education, diagnosis and race-related differences in MMPI performance.

MMPIs were obtained from eight groups of black and white, schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic, and highly educated and poorly educated psychiatric patients. Profiles were classified blindly by use of two rules (Sc greater than 70; Sc greater than PT). All but poorly educated blacks were classified correctly beyond a chance level. Almost half of the poorly educated black nonschizophrenics were misclassified as schizophrenic. Implications for diagnostic work were discussed.

Fistula detection in cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

In two cases of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea in which scinticisternography failed to identify the fistulae, the tracts were demonstrated by positive contrast ventriculography. It is postulated that the fistula communicated with the ventricles but was isolated from the subarachnoid space by adhesions (demonstrated at operation in one case). There was `high pressure rhinorrhoea' in one case. The rhinorrhoea ceased after insertion of ventriculoatrial shunt.

Retrograde migration of the venous catheter as a complication of ventriculoatrial shunts in adults. Case report.

The retrograde cephalad migration of the flexible venous catheter into a large internal jugular vein is described in two cases of adult "normal" pressure hydrocephalus treated with Holter ventriculoatrial shunts. The successful correction of this problem by replacement of the standard type "C" catheter with a slightly more rigid catheter and internal jugular vein ligation is described.