Ghanaian farmers suffer from a decline in cocoa production partly due to damages and diseases from insect pests. To increase predation by bats on insects on the cocoa plantations we installed two different types of bat boxes on 15 plantations around the village of Buoyem. Bat activity, bat species composition (numbers of insectivorous and frugivorous bats) and insect abundance were measured before and after bat box installation. Insectivorous bats were present on all ofthe sampled plantations, namelyleaf-nosed bats (Hipposideros sp.), slit-faced bats (Nycteridae sp.), horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sp.) and vesper bats (Vespertilionidae sp.). Furthermore, no correlation between insect abundance and bat activity could be detected. The bat boxes were not occupied yet during the research period since rainy season started in the second half of the measurements and bat activity decreases with increasing precipitation which is supported by our Un dings. Additionally, the available time period between in stallation and measuring of the effects of the boxes was very short when compared to similar researches. Bats alsohave different preferences per species for size and shape of bat boxes and the number of naturally available roosting sites also influences bat box occupancy. Our results suggest that bats are abundant above cocoa plantations in Buoyem and therefore bat boxes have the potential to be ahelpful tool in insect pest control.
MULTIFILE
Noise is a common problem in hospitals, and it is known that social behavior can influence sound levels. The aim of this naturally-occurring field experiment was to assess the influence of a non-talking rule on the actual sound level and perception of patients in an outpatient infusion center. In a quasi-randomized trial two conditions were compared in real life. In the control condition, patients (n = 137) were allowed to talk to fellow patients and visitors during the treatment. In the intervention condition patients (n = 126) were requested not to talk to fellow patients and visitors during their treatment. This study measured the actual sound levels in dB(A) as well as patients’ preferences regarding sound and their perceptions of the physical environment, anxiety, and quality of health care. A linear-mixed-model showed a statistically significant, but rather small reduction of the non-talking rule on the actual sound level with an average of 1.1 dB(A). Half of the patients preferred a talking condition (57%), around one-third of the patients had no preference (36%), and 7% of the patients preferred a non-talking condition. Our results suggest that patients who preferred non-talking, perceived the environment more negatively compared to the majority of patients and perceived higher levels of anxiety. Results showed no significant effect of the experimental conditions on patient perceptions. In conclusion, a non-talking rule of conduct only minimally reduced the actual sound level and did not influence the perception of patients.
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