Using citizen science to determine if songbird nesting parameters fluctuate in synchrony.

As global temperatures continue to rise, population or spatial synchrony (i.e., the degree of synchronization in the fluctuation of demographic parameters) can have important implications for inter- and intraspecific interactions among wildlife populations. Climatic fluctuations are common drivers of spatial synchrony, and depending on the degree of synchronization and the parameters impacted, synchrony can increase extinction probabilities. Although citizen science is an inexpensive method to collect long-term data over large spatial scales to study effects of climate changes on wildlife, few studies have used citizen science data to determine if this synchrony is occurring across populations and species. We used 21 years of citizen science nesting data collected on Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and Carolina Chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), two widespread North American species with similar life histories and abundant data, to assess the degree of synchrony between and within their populations in the southeastern United States. We found little evidence of synchronous fluctuations in the nesting parameters of hatching success, hatchability, and fledging success between and within species, nor did we observe consistent patterns towards increased or decreased synchrony. Estimates of nesting parameters were high (≥ 0.83) and showed little variability (relative variance ≤ 0.17), supporting the hypothesis that parameters that strongly contribute to population growth rates (i.e., typically fecundity in short-lived species) show little interannual variability. The low variability and lack of synchrony suggest that these populations of study species may be resilient to climate change. However, we were unable to test for synchronous fluctuations in other species and populations, or in the survival parameter, due to large gaps in data. This highlights the need for citizen science projects to continue increasing public participation for species and regions that lack data.

Emergency contraception counseling: an opportunity for pharmacists.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of pharmacist counseling on patients' knowledge of emergency contraception (EC). DESIGN: Single-group, repeated-measures analysis. SETTING: Academic medical center women's clinic in Little Rock, AR, between January and July 2010. PARTICIPANTS: 116 women 18 years or older. INTERVENTION: 10-minute education session provided by a pharmacist or trained student pharmacist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in participants' test scores (range 0 [lowest possible] to 13 [highest possible]) at three assessment periods (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) using 12 knowledge questions. RESULTS: 116 participants with a mean (±SD) age of 25 ± 5.9 years participated in this study. Mean knowledge scores were 5.3 ± 4.1 for the pretest and 10.7 ± 1.4 for the posttest (P < 0.001). The least-squares mean EC knowledge test score (adjusted for demographics) was 5.86 at pretest, 10.75 at posttest, and 10.75 at follow-up. A nonsignificant small change in scores from posttest to follow-up was detected after the Tukey-Kramer adjustment. A higher education level was associated with higher knowledge scores in this population. CONCLUSION: Brief pharmacist-driven counseling sessions provided in a clinic setting are feasible and have a positive impact on immediate EC knowledge and long-term knowledge retention.