PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Hands off -- please

Friendly information signs reduce vandalism on scientific equipment

2013-11-26
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Dr. Holger Goerlitz
hgoerlitz@orn.mpg.de
49-081-579-32372
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Hands off -- please Friendly information signs reduce vandalism on scientific equipment

This news release is available in German.

Behavioural biologists conducting research in the field often depend on state-of-the-art techniques. Consequently, damage to or theft of technical equipment represents a dramatic financial and scientific loss. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen decided to find out whether the information content and tone of labels attached to the equipment could reduce the incidence of vandalism. In total 60 equipment dummies were distributed in four public parks in Munich. The researchers found that a friendly, personal label reduced the interaction of people with the equipment in comparison with neutral or threatening labels. Their results are published in the British Ecological Society journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

From small transmitters used to study migration routes of butterflies to cameras in nest boxes recording breeding activities of great tits, state-of-the-art and expensive technical equipment is essential for today's ecological science. Usually, this equipment has to remain on site to allow for long-term observations or to minimize the impact of repeated installation. For a team of researchers led by Markus Clarin and Holger Goerlitz from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen it is also important to get as close as possible to their study animals. They investigate the behaviour of bats, which spend their life in the dark, mostly during flight and in an acoustic environment unrecognizable to humans. Therefore the researchers have to rely on a range of special, expensive equipment to study the life of bats.

The idea for this study was thus born out of necessity: what and how much will happen to scientific equipment when it is left unattended in the field while automatically collecting data? Does a written threat of being reported to the police or a friendly notice that the work is part of a student's thesis including a photo of a cute juvenile squirrel on the label of the equipment have the potential to prevent possible vandalism? Markus Clarin and colleagues distributed 60 equipment dummies in four public parks in Munich for a period of one week. The dummies consisted of locked toolboxes with a fake dome camera with a flashing red LED light and a car antenna. The researchers attached a label to all of these dummies that either contained a personal, neutral, or a threatening message. "We have been frequently approached by interested park visitors", says Markus Clarin, first author of the study. "With remorse we told all of them about our fictitious study on small mammals that have been equipped with transmitters and are being photographed by the camera on top of the boxes when passing close by."

The good news first: most of the dummies were not touched at all, despite being highly visible and unsecured in the middle of the park. Dummies containing a friendly label were interfered with 40% less than those with a neutral or threatening label. The label type, however, did not affect the seriousness of the interference, such as moving, opening, damaging or stealing the dummy. "Apparently, the friendly label effectively reduced anybody's interference with our equipment, regardless of whether they intended to damage or steal the equipment or just wanted to pick it up for closer inspection", says Holger Goerlitz, head of the project.

The question remains whether this study is representative, as it has been conducted in one of the richest cities in Germany. To account for this the researchers first asked international colleagues about their experience with fieldwork equipment. Their survey showed that the equipment, such as animal traps or cameras, remained mostly untouched. In case of damage or theft, this resulted in dramatic financial and scientific consequences, and in extreme cases also in complete failure of an experiment. A label in a friendly tone could probably put things right.

"Although our friendly labels were not able to influence what exactly was going to happen with the equipment, it nevertheless could minimize the number of incidences", summarizes Holger Goerlitz.

"We would explicitly like to thank the local authorities, especially the police and the park management", says Markus Clarin. They had been informed beforehand and remained cooperative, even when in one occasion a false bomb alert has caused some confusion: a visitor took one of the boxes to a beer garden and left it there with the red LED flashing.



INFORMATION:



Original publication

Clarin, B.-M., Bitzilekis, E., Siemers, B. M. and Goerlitz, H.: Personal messages reduce vandalism and theft of unattended scientific equipment. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. Published online Nov. 26, 2013



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Brain imaging differences in infants at genetic risk for Alzheimer's

2013-11-26
Brain imaging differences in infants at genetic risk for Alzheimer's PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Researchers from Brown University and Banner Alzheimer's Institute have found that infants who carry a gene associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease ...

Using microRNA fit to a T (cell)

2013-11-26
Using microRNA fit to a T (cell) Researchers show B cells can deliver potentially therapeutic bits of modified RNA Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have successfully targeted T lymphocytes – which play a central ...

Cervical cancer screening overused in some groups of women

2013-11-26
Cervical cancer screening overused in some groups of women SALT LAKE CITY— For the past ten years, clinicians throughout the United States have been performing unnecessary Pap tests for cervical cancer screening in certain groups of women, according to a researcher from Huntsman ...

Search for habitable planets should be more conservative

2013-11-26
Search for habitable planets should be more conservative Scientists should take the conservative approach when searching for habitable zones where life-sustaining planets might exist, according to James Kasting, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, including ...

UTMB researchers find ear infections down, thanks to vaccine

2013-11-26
UTMB researchers find ear infections down, thanks to vaccine Advent of PCV-13 vaccine in 2010 contributed to sharp downward trend Otitis media, more commonly known as ear infection, is the leading cause of pediatric health care visits and ...

US methane emissions exceed government estimates

2013-11-26
US methane emissions exceed government estimates Collaborative atmospheric study indicates fossil fuel extraction and animal husbandry are major contributors Cambridge, Mass. – November 25, 2013 – Emissions of methane from fossil fuel extraction and refining activities ...

Increasing the number of insured patients is not tied to higher ICU usage in Massachusetts

2013-11-26
Increasing the number of insured patients is not tied to higher ICU usage in Massachusetts Better, earlier care may mean fewer ICU admissions; implications for US as national health care reform begins PHILADELPHIA- A multi-institution ...

Oxytocin leads to monogamy

2013-11-26
Oxytocin leads to monogamy Researchers at the Bonn University Medical Center: Hormone stimulates the brain reward system when viewing the partner How is the bond between people in love maintained? Scientists at the Bonn University Medical Center have ...

Study examines barriers to human papillomavirus vaccination among teens

2013-11-26
Study examines barriers to human papillomavirus vaccination among teens Barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents in the U.S. range from financial concerns and parental attitudes to social influences and concerns about the vaccination's ...

Findings not supportive of women-specific chest pain symptoms in heart attack diagnosis

2013-11-26
Findings not supportive of women-specific chest pain symptoms in heart attack diagnosis CHICAGO – Using chest pain characteristics (CPCs) specific to women in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) in the emergency department ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Want to publish in Nature? Webinar with Prof. Willie Peijnenburg shares insider tips

Cataract surgery on both eyes can be carried out safely and effectively in one go

Personalized brain stimulation shows benefit for depression

AI uncovers hidden rules of some of nature’s toughest protein bonds

Innovative approach helps new mothers get hepatitis C treatment

Identifying the Interactions That Drive Cell Migration in Brain Cancer

ORNL receives 2025 SAMPE Organizational Excellence Award

University of Oklahoma researchers aim to reduce indigenous cancer disparities

Study reveals new evidence, cost savings for common treatments for opioid use disorder in mothers and infants

Research alert: Frequent cannabis users show no driving impairment after two-day break

Turbulence with a twist

Volcanic emissions of reactive sulfur gases may have shaped early mars climate, making it more hospitable to life

C-Path concludes 2025 Global Impact Conference with progress across rare diseases, neurology and pediatrics

Research exposes far-reaching toll of financial hardship on patients with cancer

The percentage of women who went without a Pap smear for cervical cancer screening increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2022

AI tools fall short in predicting suicide, study finds

Island ant communities show signs of ‘insect apocalypse’

Revealed: The long legacy of human-driven ant decline in Fiji

Analyzing impact of heat from western wildfires on air pollution in the eastern US

Inadequate regulatory protections for consumer genetic data privacy in US

Pinning down protons in water — a basic science success story

Scientists reveal how the brain uses objects to find direction

Humans sense a collaborating robot as part of their “extended” body

Nano-switch achieves first directed, gated flow of chargeless quantum information carriers

Scientist, advocate and entrepreneur Lucy Shapiro to receive Lasker-Koshland special achievement award

Creating user personas to represent the needs of dementia caregivers supporting medication management at home

UTIA participates in national study analyzing microbial communities, environmental factors impacting cotton development

Mizzou economists: 2025 farm income boosted by high cattle prices and one-time payments

What 3I/ATLAS tells us about other solar systems

University of Cincinnati allergist receives $300,000 grant to research rare esophageal disease

[Press-News.org] Hands off -- please
Friendly information signs reduce vandalism on scientific equipment