bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological biogeography of North American mammals: species density and ecological structure in relation to environmental gradients
Authors: Badgley Catherine , Fox David L.
Published: March 2003

Aim To evaluate the relationship of climate and physiography to species density and ecological diversity of North American mammals.

Location North America, including Mexico and Central America.

Methods Species density, size structure and trophic structure of mammalian faunas and nine environmental variables were documented for quadrats covering the entire continent. Spatial autocorrelation of species density and the environmental variables illustrated differences in their spatial structure at the continental scale. We used principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the climatic variables, linear multiple regression to determine which environmental variables best predict species density for the continent and several regions of the continent, and canonical ordination to evaluate how well the environmental variables predict ecological structure of mammalian faunas over North America.

Results In the best regression model, five environmental variables, representing seasonal extremes of temperature, annual energy and moisture, and elevation, predicted 88% of the variation in species density for the whole continent. Among different regions of North America, the environmental variables that predicted species density vary.

Changes in the size and trophic structure of mammalian faunas accompany changes in species density. Redundancy analysis demonstrated that environmental variables representing winter temperature, frostfree period, potential and actual evapotranspiration, and elevation account for 77% of the variation in ecological structure.

Main conclusions The latitudinal gradient in mammalian species density is strong, but most of it is explained by variation in the environmental variables. Each ecological category peaks in species richness under particular environmental conditions. The changes of greatest magnitude involve the smallest size categories (< 10 g, 11–100 g), aerial insectivores and frugivores. Species in these categories, mostly bats, increase along a gradient of decreasing winter temperature and increasing annual moisture and frostfree period, trends correlated with latitude. At the opposite end of this gradient, species in the largest size category (101–1000 kg) increase in frequency. Species in size categories 3 (101–1000 g), 5 (11–100 kg) and 6 (101–1000 kg), herbivores, and granivores increase along a longitudinal gradient of increasing annual potential evapotranspiration and elevation.

Much of the spatial pattern is consistent with ecological sorting of species ranges along environmental gradients, but differential rates of speciation and extinction also may have shaped the ecological diversity of extant North American mammals.
The ostrich in Egypt: past and present
Authors: Manlius Nicolas
Published: March 2003

Aim

This article tracks the evolution of the distribution of ostrich populations, Struthio camelus L., 1758, in Egypt from the Late Pleistocene up to present times with a view to establishing a series of distribution maps for the historical period. An attempt is then made to describe and interpret these maps.

Location

The country considered is Egypt.

Methods

We compiled all the information about the presence of the ostrich in Egypt collected from the study of fossil remains, archaeological materials and from the narrative of travellers since the fourteenth century. From the accounts of these travellers, three maps showing the location of this birds in this country are established: from the end of the fourteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century; from the beginning of the eighteenth to the end of the nineteenth century; and lastly, for the twentieth century.

Results

The ostrich was abundant and broadly distributed in Egypt in the past. However, it has been constantly in decline. It disappeared from the north of the country and lived only in the southeast up to the end of the nineteenth century. The birds reappeared in the latter region at the beginning of the 1960s up to 1991 before disappearing from the country.

Main conclusions

The principal reasons for the decline of the ostrich in Egypt are the aridification caused by climatic changes and intensive hunting by humans. It is possible that this bird was not sighted in the country between the beginning of the twentieth century and the 1960s, not because it had disappeared, but most probably because it was sufficiently discrete to be noticed.
Determinants of inselberg floras in arid Nama Karoo landscapes
Authors: Burke Antje
Published: March 2003

Aim

This study investigated the relationship between inselberg floras in floristic and functional terms and their correlation with environmental variables at macro‐scale and landscape level.

Location

Four inselberg landscapes in Namibia’s arid Nama Karoo in southern Africa were selected.

Methods

Plant surveys were undertaken over a 3‐year period and species composition, growth form and dispersal spectra were used as measures for floristic and functional composition. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was employed as the main tool to explain the perceived patterns.

Results

Regarding floristic affinities, inselberg floras formed distinct groups per study area and thus geographical position, with strong correlations between inselbergs within a particular study area. Neither growth form nor dispersal spectra closely resembled the pattern that emerged in the ordination of floristic composition. The influence of geographical position lessened when functional rather than floristic measures were introduced in the analysis.

Main conclusions

(1) On landscape and macro‐scale, floristic composition of inselberg floras was largely determined by geographical position, geology, elevation, habitat diversity, rock outcrop in the surrounding and surface area of inselbergs. (2) Environmental variables operating at landscape level had greater influence on functional composition than on floristic composition. (3) Stochastic variables were more important in shaping the flora of these arid Nama Karoo inselbergs than deterministic processes such as niche relations and competition.
Modern pollen precipitation from an elevational transect in central Jordan and its relationship to vegetation
Authors: Davies Caroline P. , Fall Patricia L.
Published: March 2003

Aim

To explore the relationship between modern pollen precipitation and vegetation patterns in an arid region of the Middle East.

Location

Data come from the central Jordan Rift from 1700 m elevation in the highlands to 300 m below sea level in the Dead Sea basin.

Methods

Modern pollen samples and descriptive vegetation data were collected from twenty‐one locations at 100 m elevational intervals from the highest elevations on the eastern side of the rift valley, where woodlands grow, to the lowest elevation desert on earth, characterized by drought and salt tolerant plants. Pollen percentage data from each vegetation zone are compared descriptively and numerically using cluster and Principal Components Analyses (PCA).

Results

Three major vegetation zones: woodland, shrub steppe, and desert scrub, are identified by their dominant plant species. The widely spaced tree, Quercus calliprinos Webb, defines the Quercus L. woodland that grows above 1500 m elevation. The shrub steppe can be divided into two subzones found between about 1500 and 900 m elevation: Artemisia herba‐alba Asso shrub steppe and Artemisia L. shrub steppe with Juniperus phoenica L. Desert scrub dominates the lower elevation landscape with Hammada salicornia (Moq.) Iljin the dominant shrub between 900 and 200 m and Haloxylon persicum Bge. found below 200 m elevation.

Pollen spectra reflect the elevational vegetation zones. In particular, Quercus L., Juniperus L. and Tamarix L. pollen are abundant where the trees grow. Highly variable amounts of non‐arboreal pollen taxa – primarily Artemisia L. and Chenopodiaceae Vent. – differentiate shrub steppe from desert scrub vegetation. Cluster and PCA of pollen data support the qualitative vegetation zonation.

Main conclusions

The main vegetation zones along the Jordan Rift from 1700 to –300 m elevation can be distinguished by their modern pollen precipitation. Open vegetation types, in particular, can be recognized by their pollen spectra. High amounts of Artemisia L. pollen distinguish the moister upper elevations where Artemisia L. steppe grows. In contrast, greater amounts of Chenopodiaceae Vent. pollen characterize the drier, lower elevation deserts.
Competitive ability, body size and geographical range size in small mammals
Authors: Glazier Douglas S. , Eckert Sara E.
Published: March 2003

Aim

Why are some species widespread and abundant while others are restricted and rare?Darwin (1859) and others have claimed that some species have become widespread because they are competitively dominant over related, geographically restricted species. An alternative hypothesis is that wide‐ranging species are ecological generalists that have been able to opportunistically colonize many kinds of new, disturbed and/or marginal habitats, whereas related narrow‐ranging species are ecological specialists that competitively dominate specific kinds of relatively stable habitats/resources. We tested these opposing hypotheses using small mammals, for which considerable data on competitive interactions and geographical range sizes are available.

Location

North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Methods

We analysed data for forty‐three competitive interactions between congeneric species in twenty genera, seven families, and four orders of small mammals. Competitive dominance was identified from both field and laboratory experiments, which were lumped because they showed similar results.

Results

We found that (1) when all studies were analysed as individual data points, species with smaller geographical ranges tended to be dominant over congeneric species with larger geographical ranges, (2) lumping of interaction pairs sharing one or more of the same species yielded a similar result, (3) lumping all interactions involving the same genus also showed the same result, although it was not statistically significant, probably because of the small sample size resulting from this attempt to remove phylogenetic effects. Examination of the taxonomic relationships of the studied genera revealed no obvious phylogenetic effects on the relationship of competitive dominance with geographical range size. Furthermore, although body‐size differences appeared to have played a role in the results observed, they cannot completely explain them.

Main conclusions

We tentatively conclude that Darwin's hypothesis is falsified for small mammals, while the alternative hypothesis that geographically restricted species are competitively dominant over related widespread species receives some support.
Winter bird communities in urban habitats: a comparative study between central and northern Europe
Authors: Jokimäki Jukka , Clergeau Philippe , Kaisanlahti‐Jokimäki Marja‐Liisa
Published: March 2003

Aim

Urbanization can lead to uniformity in urban bird communities, and the general biogeographical patterns found in natural communities may not be found in urban ones. Thus, it is important to know if urbanization might be seen as contributing to a general pattern that modifies the biogeographical processes of wildlife communities.

Location

We studied differences in suburban bird assemblages in France and Finland. Birds in each town included in the study were surveyed using 30 ha suburban study plots located within single‐family housing area and apartment block area.

Methods

The wintering birds were surveyed using a single‐visit study plot method in January and February 1999. The level of urbanization was measured according to the general structure of the habitat by using the town maps and field notes. In addition, we counted active winter feeding stations during bird surveys.

Results

The average number of species was higher in France than in Finland, both in single‐family house areas and in apartment block areas. The most abundant bird species occurred in most of the study sites. The urbanization level affected bird community composition more in northern Finland than in France. In Finland, the number of wintering species and their total biomass were higher in single‐house areas than in more urbanized areas. The total density and biomass of birds were higher in France than in Finland in areas of apartment blocks, but not in the areas of single‐houses. Urbanization level affected the total bird density only in France, being higher in areas of apartment blocks. In Finland, the total biomass of birds was higher in the single‐family house areas than in the areas of apartment blocks. Most of the bird species were more abundant in France than in Finland. The habitat factors associated with the bird community variables in France and in Finland differed from one another. Feeding tables increased the species richness and the abundance of birds in Finland.

Conclusions

The species decrease between France and Finland was mainly because of the large proportion of species in France that are migratory in northern Finland. The abundance of urban birds did not necessarily decrease northwards. Intensive winter feeding in northern latitudes may help birds to overcome natural range limitations. Our results differed from results obtained when studying town centres and they highlight the complexity of the urbanization process across a geographical gradient.
A revised cline theory that can be used for quantified analyses of evolutionary processes without parapatric speciation
Authors: Salomon Marc
Published: March 2003

Aim

Classical cline theory interprets clines as speciation processes in two stages: (1) smooth clines, typical of species with no marked subspecies, and (2) stepped clines, characteristic of species with marked subspecies, separated by hybrid zones, where the clines are steeper than within the areas of the subspecies. (These steeping clines eventually become vertical clines—a situation, where the taxa turn into separate species, termed `parapatric speciation'.) This theory, dating from the late 1930s, still has a number of active supporters. But, because results from population genetics suggest that barriers are necessary for speciation to take place, most authors nowadays reject both parapatric speciation and classical cline theory, the former appearing to be the logical consequence of the latter. The theory presented here does not involve parapatric speciation, but provides a revised cline theory including a third stage, the broken cline, which corresponds to the stage at which speciation finally takes place. I suggest that a cline theory without the prerequisite of parapatric speciation can be very useful, for it provides both an evolutionary interpretation of a given geographical distribution and also a method of quantitative analysis.

Location

An example is taken within a species complex of the chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita‐ibericus (Aves, Sylviidae), using populations ranging from south Iberia to north Sweden for one variable and to south Belgium for three other variables.

Methods

I used regression analyses to interpret clinal variations, and Student's t‐tests to evaluate the broken or continuous nature of the clines.

Results

In this example, the cline is broken between the adjacent populations of P. ibericus and P. c. collybita, and is continuous and gradual elsewhere.

Main conclusions

(1) Phylloscopus ibericus and P. c. collybita are good examples of taxa undergoing current speciation; (2) the southern and northern populations of P. ibericus on one hand, and of P. c. collybita and of P. c. abietinus on the other hand, show cline patterns illustrating pairs of vicariant and isolated `weak' subspecies in the sense of Deuve (1994).
Predicted regional impacts of climate change on the geographical distribution and diversity of tropical forests in Costa Rica
Authors: Enquist C. A. F.
Published: March 2003

Aim

Spatial models generated in a geographical information system (GIS) are utilized to predict shifts in the distribution and diversity of tropical forests in Costa Rica in response to climate change.

Location

Analyses were conducted using the Holdridge life zone classification system for the Central American country of Costa Rica.

Methods

Mean annual precipitation and temperature ranges were varied to reflect different magnitudes of climate change and then used to predict the distributions of nineteen forest types (life zones). Holdridge et al.'s (1971) field survey data of species richness and endemism for ten Costa Rican life zones were also analysed and considered in view of the climate change scenarios.

Results

The scenarios indicated that shifts in the distribution of tropical forest life zones are likely to occur as a result of climatic changes. High elevation life zones were shown to be more sensitive to changes in temperature, while lower elevation life zones tended to be more sensitive to changes in precipitation. Regional life zone diversity was greatly reduced in an extreme wet and warm climate scenario. Three elevation‐associated life zones (lower montane rain forest, montane rain forest, and premontane rain forest) ranked in the top four in percentage number of endemic species. The lowland seasonally dry forest life zone ranked second in this group, suggesting that this life zone has a unique species composition in comparison with other lowland Holdridge life zones. Of the nineteen life zones, these four life zones displayed particular sensitivity to the climate changes modelled here.

Main conclusions

Elevation‐associated life zones may be particularly vulnerable to future climatic changes. This is also true of lowland seasonally dry forest. Geographical regions in Costa Rica that contain these life zones are likely to warrant special management and conservation attention in the event of predicted climate change.
Potential disruptions to seed dispersal mutualisms in Tonga, Western Polynesia
Authors: Meehan Hayley J. , McConkey Kim R. , Drake Donald R.
Published: March 2003

Aim

As a result of the extinctions of several large frugivorous birds (and one flying fox) and the diminished ranges of others, Tonga now has a relatively small number of effective seed dispersers, especially for large‐seeded plants. We estimate the bill width and gape of the two largest known extinct pigeon species (Ducula) present in Tonga prior to human arrival. We then estimate which native rain forest species had fruits that would have probably been included in the diets of these extinct birds but which may not be dispersed regularly by the smaller frugivores present today.

Methods

Bill width for the two largest extinct pigeons was derived by extrapolating from the size of fossil bones and measurements of skeletons of extantDuculaspecies.DuculaandPtilinopusspecies have distensible jaws, and therefore their gape allows them to swallow objects broader than their bill width. We estimated the gape width and maximum ingestible fruit size that both the extinct and extant species could consume, by extrapolating from feeding observations of extantDuculaandPtilinopusspecies (using known bill widths and fruit sizes). We determined whether those plant species whose fruit diameters exceed the mean gape width of the largest remaining avian frugivore in Tonga (Ducula pacificaGmelin) appeared adapted for dispersal by birds or flying foxes.

Results

Approximately 79% of the native rain forest trees and lianas in Tonga produce fruits whose morphology suggests that they are adapted to vertebrate dispersal. Bill width estimates derived from the bones of the extinctDuculasp. nova suggest that this pigeon could swallow fruit up to 48 mm in diameter, whilst the smallerDuculacf.davidBalouet & Olson is estimated to have been able to swallow fruit up to 36 mm in diameter. Plant species whose fruits are too large to be swallowed by Tonga's largest extant frugivorous bird (D. pacifica) yet display fruit characteristics suggesting birds were likely to have been their predominant vertebrate disperser in pre‐human times include:Calophyllum inophyllumL., Cerbera odollamGaertn,Planchonella garberiChristophersen, P. membranaceaLam., Pometia pinnataJ. R. & G. Forst.,Syzygium quandrangulatum(A. Gray) Merr. & Perry, Syzygium richii(A. Gray) Merr. & Perry andTerminalia catappaL.

Main conclusions

There is now no avian disperser in Tonga for plant species whose fruits measure >28 mm in diameter (the maximum gape ofD. pacifica). Although frugivorous flying foxes (Pteropus tonganusQuoy & Gaimard) may eat the fruit and disperse the seeds of the eight plant species identified with large fruits, the frequency of dispersal by birds was probably much higher in the past. Species that once relied on the large extinct pigeons for dispersal may have become reduced in abundance in their absence.
Floristic exchange between mainland Africa and Madagascar: case studies in Apocynaceae– Asclepiadoideae
Authors: Meve Ulrich , Liede Sigrid
Published: March 2003

Aim

The Apocynaceae–Asclepiadoideae (c. 125 species) of Madagascar's flora are highly endemic, and floristic conformity between Madagascar and Africa (and Asia) is low. Of thec. 1250 Old World Asclepiadoideae species, only ten species are shared between mainland Africa and Madagascar. Our comprehensive data elaborated during the last 15 years of systematic research in Asclepiadoideae were used to (1) examine Leroy's hypothesis that Madagascar's flora resulted from an autochthonous Gondwanean stock and natural introduction of taxa in time, (2) check the probability of our phylogentic considerations against the direction of the floristic exchange traced, and (3) present evidence for successful long‐distance dispersal events.

Location

Africa, Madagascar, Asia.

Methods

Published and unpublished data on distribution, morphology, chromosome numbers and DNA sequence analysis of Asclepiadoideae taxa distributed in both Africa and Madagascar (Asia and Madagascar) were reviewed and evaluated.

Results

Ten species belonging to the generaCeropegia, Cynanchum(incl.Sarcostemma),Gomphorcarpus, Gymnema, Microloma, Pentatropis, Pleurostelma, TelosmaandTylophoraare shared between mainland Africa and Madagascar, three species extend to Asia. In most of the cases presented, evidence points to long‐distance dispersal from Africa to Madagascar; only in theCynanchumcomplex dispersal events from Madagascar to Africa are corroborated.

Mainconclusions

An exchange of asclepiadaceous flora between mainland Africa and Madagascar andvice versatook place in at least ten cases. However, <1% of the Malagasy species is involved, meaning that the speciose autochthonous Malagasy Asclepiadoideae flora is only inconspicuously influenced by these presumably rather recent introductions. The African–Malagasy distributions can only be explained by long‐distance dispersal events effected by anemochorous seeds.
Effects of natural disturbance and selective logging onNothofagusforests in south‐central Chile
Authors: Pollmann William
Published: March 2003

Aim

Changes in stand structure, floristic composition and tree population dynamics during the last four centuries were described in southern temperate rain forests. The impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbance since the late 1560s were examined for old‐growth and logged forests.

Location

The study was conducted in montaneNothofagus alpinaforests in the Andean Range of south‐central Chile. Study sites were located at a range of altitudes between 1000 and 1250 m a.s.l.

Methods

Temporal variation in species recruitment and annual dendroecological data were used to determine the historical development and disturbance history of three old‐growth forests, and three stands after selective logging in the late 1880s to early 1900s. Considering the spatial structure of evergreen vs. deciduous elements, the forests are a mixture of deciduous and evergreen tree species.

Results

Stem density, maximum stem diameter and basal area differed between the old‐growth and logged stands, but species composition did not. At lower altitudes,N. alpinawas the dominant canopy species in both old‐growth and logged stands, but regeneration ofN. alpinawas significantly different in these stands. At higher altitudes,N. alpinaandN. dombeyiwere the dominant canopy species in both old‐growth and logged stands, and here regeneration patterns of theseNothofagusspecies were similar. After selective logging, in mixed forests of shade‐intolerantNothofagusand more shade‐tolerant trees (such asLaurelia philippiana) there has been a shift in regeneration from more shade‐tolerant resprouting species towardsNothofagus. Major and moderate releases in radial growth, indicative of disturbance, occurred in most of the older trees during the last four centuries, and especially during the last 100 years. Growth rates ofN. alpinaare higher than those of associated shade‐tolerant trees, and apparently increase after disturbances.

Main conclusions

Results suggest that under disturbance regimes dominated by treefall gaps, and additionally canopy openings by selective logging, maintenance ofNothofagusspecies appears to be associated with complementary differences in growth rate, sprouting capacity, canopy residence time, and longevity. Such small‐scale canopy openings may help explain the relative abundance ofN. alpinain montane mixed rain forests in the Andean Range, where the maintenance ofNothofagusspecies in many stands has been attributed to a high frequency of coarse‐scale disturbance. My results serve to emphasize that understanding the species coexistence and forest dynamics inNothofagusforests may require attention to interspecific differences in life‐history characteristics.
Ravens (Corvus corax corax L.) in the British landscape: a thousand years of ecological biogeography in place‐names
Authors: Moore P. G.
Published: March 2003

Abstract Aim To investigate the information content of place‐names regarding the habits, habitat and biogeography of ravens in Britain over the past millennium.

Location England, Scotland and Wales.

Methods Linguistic and ecological analysis of over 400 British place‐names that have a putative ‘raven’ derivation.

Results Most of the ‘raven’ place‐names are Old English in origin. Some of these (a minority), however, derive from personal names. The derivations of most names reflect landscape rather than man‐made features; the majority relating to high, craggy ground or coastal features, a minority to wooded situations or human habitations. In lowland Scotland and the Scottish borders the colloquial name corbie dominates ‘raven’ place‐names, perhaps reflecting French influence. In the Highlands and the Western Isles the Gaelic fitheach and its derivatives are predominant. Relatively fewer place‐names that have ‘raven’ roots have been educed in other parts of the Celtic West, i.e. Wales and Cornwall (only one traced in the latter).

Main conclusions Comparison of the geographical distribution of ‘raven’‐derived place‐names with the present‐day distribution of the species in Britain reveals the extent of the contraction in the raven's range to the West over historical time, most notably during theprevious two centuries, associated with changed land‐management practices in particular.
Nested communities of alpine plants on isolated mountains: relative importance of colonization and extinction
Authors: Bruun Hans Henrik , Moen Jon
Published: March 2003

Aim  This paper seeks to investigate whether alpine floras on isolated mountains in boreal forest show nestedness, and, if that is the case, to determine whether selective extinction or colonization is the likely cause of the observed patterns.

Location  Isolated mountains in the boreal coniferous forests of northern Sweden (province of Norrbotten, c. 66°N; 18°E). The timberline in the region probably has been 300–400 m above the present some thousands of years before present, potentially covering these mountains.

Methods  A data matrix of twenty‐seven alpine plant species on twenty‐seven isolated mountains was subjected to nested subsets analysis. Extinction probability was assumed to increase with decreasing area, and colonization probability was assumed to decrease with increasing isolation. By sorting the data matrix by these factors and sequentially computing the degree of nestedness, we were able to determine whether the alpine floras were structured mainly by selective extinction or mainly by differential colonization.

Results  When ordered by decreasing area the data matrix was significantly more nested than random, but that was not the case when ordered by decreasing isolation. Ordering by maximum altitude also produced significant nestedness.

Main conclusions  Contrary to the conventional view that isolated mountains were completely covered with boreal forest some thousands of years ago, the nestedness patterns of alpine plants indicate that many of them survived the forest period on the isolated mountains, probably on cliffs and slopes too steep for the formation of closed forest.
Are we facing a `post‐antibiotic era'? – a review of the literature regarding antimicrobial drug resistance
Authors: TRNOBRANSKI PHILIPPA H.
Published: March 2003

• Since the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, antibiotic resistance has become an increasing problem.

• Today, multiple‐antibiotic resistance is commonly associated with a number of clinically important pathogens and is therefore an important issue in clinical nursing practice.

• Epidemiological studies identify a number of important factors associated with increases in antimicrobial resistance. These include patterns of antimicrobial use, changes in medical and veterinary care and social practices affecting the transmission of microbes.

• Bacterial mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and the genetics of resistance‐gene transfer are explored, with the intention of developing nurses' knowledge and understanding of control measures.
Psychosocial recovery from adult kidney transplantation: a literature review
Authors: WAINWRIGHT STEVEN P. , FALLON MAUREEN , GOULD DINAH
Published: March 2003

• Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for patients with end‐stage chronic renal disease.

• There appears to be no recent and extensive review of the literature on psychosocial recovery from adult kidney transplantation.

• This comprehensive review considers literature on six aspects of patient recovery and rehabilitation: psychiatric sequelae, functional recovery, stress and coping, the psychological impact of failed kidney transplants, quality of life (QOL), and adherence with medications.

• We conclude that although studies have become both more ambitious and rigorous, there is a pressing need to move away from descriptive research toward carefully designed multidisciplinary psychological intervention studies with kidney transplant patients.
An investigation of interprofessional collaboration in stroke rehabilitation team conferences
Authors: GIBBON BERNARD
Published: March 2003

• The aim of this paper is to report a study examining the team processes occurring in team conferences in a stroke unit.

• Team conferences provide an opportunity for all members of the rehabilitation team to report patients' progress and establish patients' rehabilitation goals.

• The findings suggest that little discussion or consideration of alternative intervention plans are undertaken and that team conferences serve to disseminate decisions rather than establish patients' rehabilitation goals.

• Core members of the rehabilitation team have developed specific roles. The physiotherapist `proposes' decisions which are `seconded' by the occupational therapist. The doctor acts to sanction decisions and the nurses action them.

• Team conferences are effective for dissemination of decisions and for giving rise to a sense of team collaboration.
Construct validity of the Nursing Care Dependency Scale
Authors: DIJKSTRA ATE , BUIST GIRBE , MOORER PETER , DASSEN THEO
Published: March 2003

• This paper describes the results of a study determining construct validity aspects of the Nursing Care Dependency (NCD) Scale.

• This 15‐item instrument has been developed recently for the assessment of the care dependency of dementia or learning‐disabled inpatients.

• Data was collected for 450 dementia and 203 learning‐disabled patients using the NCD instrument.

• Factor analysis of the NCD instrument resulted in one Factor. With Mokken scale analysis an H‐coefficient of 0.75 was found, which implied a strong hierarchical scale.

• Cronbach's α coefficients (0.97) were high enough to use the NCD instrument in clinical practice, at both group and individual levels.
‘It’s not the same as him being at home’: creating caring partnerships following nursing home placement
Authors: Nolan Mike , Dellasega Cheryl
Published: March 2003

• Admission to a nursing home is a major life event for both older people and family carers.

• Despite a policy of community care in both the UK and the US, entry to nursing homes will be an increasingly common event.

• Family carers are often the key decision makers but little is known about their experience of placement, especially adjustment after the event.

• Antagonistic relationships can often develop between staff and relatives, as the former seek to take over care and the latter to develop new roles.

• There is a need to create a partnership between staff and family so that the care of the older person is improved and the carers’ need to remain involved is acknowledged.
How people with stroke and healthy older people experience the eating process
Authors: Jacobsson Catrine , Axelsson Karin , Österlind Per Olov , Norberg Astrid
Published: March 2003

• The aim of this study was to describe the process of eating, experiences of eating and oral functions.

• Participants consisted of 30 people with first stroke and localization of the damage verified by computer topography (CT), and 15 healthy older people.

• All were observed during test‐meals, interviewed about eating, and oral functions were tested.

• The results demonstrated that most (21) people with stroke had some difficulties in eating and expressed feelings of fear and shame about eating and changed physical and social appearance, mainly related to difficulties in preparing and transporting food to the mouth as well as swallowing deficits.
Communicating with people with stroke and aphasia: understanding through sensation without words
Authors: Sundin Karin , Jansson Lilian , Norberg Astrid
Published: March 2003

• To illuminate the phenomena of ‘communicating with people with stroke and aphasia without words’, 10 care providers particularly successful at communicating with stroke and aphasia patients who were working at a stroke rehabilitation ward narrated their experiences of communicating with such patients.

• A phenomenological hermeneutic approach, inspired by Ricoeur’s philosophy, was used in the analysis.

• Two main themes were found:facilitating opennessandbeing in wordless communication.

• The care providerssensedthe feelings of the patients and experienced similar feelings themselves, thus, the communication is guided by the shared feelings between the care provider and the patient, i.e. communion. For this ‘communication through sensation’ to take place, the following factors were found to be necessary: creative closeness in combination with protective distance; striving for satisfaction and against exhaustion and desperation; meeting the patient halfway to gain understanding; exhibiting attention and accessibility to the patient; and trust and confidence for both care providers and patients.

• The findings were interpreted and discussed in the light of works by Levinas, Lögstrup and Stern.
Education and training towards competency for cardiac rehabilitation nurses in the United Kingdom
Authors: Stokes Helen C.
Published: March 2003

• The development of cardiac rehabilitation in the UK, the evolution of the nursing role as a speciality, and the nursing role within the multidisciplinary team are briefly outlined.

• The potential impact of different professional backgrounds on the effectiveness of patient care is discussed, with particular reference to the differences between acute cardiac care and rehabilitation.

• Issues of professional competency are discussed, and core competencies for cardiac rehabilitation as specified by various professional associations are described. Current opportunities for preparation for practice in this field in the UK are outlined.

• Conclusions point towards the need for clearly specified competencies and an accredited programme of education and training to meet proposed standards for the management and rehabilitation of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the UK.
‘You do know he’s had a stroke, don’t you?’ Preparation for family care‐giving – the neglected dimension
Authors: Brereton Louise , Nolan Mike
Published: March 2003

• Countries throughout the developed world have introduced a policy of community care for older people to reduce costs to the state and maintain quality of life.

• In reality community care is largely family care and recognition of the need to support family carers is being promoted through the notion of partnership with professional carers.

• Such a partnership calls for a more complete understanding of how carers’ needs change over time and how professional support can be most effective.

• Support is particularly important at the start of care‐giving in order that carers can exercise free choice and be adequately prepared for their role.

• This paper provides an overview an ongoing longitudinal study and reports specifically on the findings of data from a preliminary study in which a convenience sample of seven experienced carers of stroke survivors who attended a stroke and carers club were interviewed in their own homes.

• Based on initial data from a longitudinal study of stroke victims, this paper outlines four themes: ‘What’s it all about’, ‘Going it alone’, ‘Up to the job’ and ‘What about me?’ These themes highlight the difficulties carers experience in the immediate aftermath of stroke.
Nurses’ perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggression in general ward settings and high dependency areas
Authors: O’Connell Bev , Young Jeanne , Brooks Jeff , Hutchings Joan , Lofthouse Jacqui
Published: March 2003

• Studies on aggression in healthcare settings have reported increased frequency of this behaviour in both psychiatric and accident and emergency areas; however, to date, very few studies have addressed this issue in general ward settings in Australia.

• This descriptive study was conducted to determine nurses’ perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggressive behaviours in general wards and high dependency areas and thereby address the gap in the literature.

• Two hundred and nine nurses in one Australian hospital completed a 23‐item questionnaire on aggression in the workplace.

• The findings revealed that the majority (89.5%) of nurses defined aggressive behaviour as including verbal aggression, physical aggression and intimidation.

• Ninety‐five per cent of respondents had encountered at least several episodes of verbal aggression within the last 12 months.

• Patients were found to be the main perpetrators of aggressive acts, followed by relatives. After experiencing either verbal or physical aggression nurses most frequently reported feeling angry or emotionally hurt.

• These findings confirm that acts of aggression are experienced frequently in the general medical and surgical ward areas of the study hospital.

• Consequently, there is a need to provide staff with education and support in order to deal with this issue and minimize the impact of increasing levels of aggression in the workplace.
Clinical role clarification: using the Delphi method to establish similarities and differences between Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists
Authors: Roberts‐Davis Marie , Read Susan
Published: March 2003

•  This article is based on the Department of Health’s (England) funded pluralistic evaluation of Nurse Practitioner preparation, ‘Realizing Specialist & Advanced Nursing Practice: establishing the parameters of and identifying competencies for “Nurse Practitioner” roles and evaluating programmes of preparation’ (RSANP).

•  During this 27‐month project, which began in 1996, one of the research methods used, the Delphi study, was aimed at reaching a consensus of views amongst nurses in clinical practice, educators, purchasers, providers and representatives of statutory and professional bodies on the parameters and competencies desirable for the Nurse Practitioner role.

•  The agreed competencies were then used as one measure of the appropriateness of various programmes used to prepare Nurse Practitioners.

•  Of the competencies required for the role, the majority are ‘nursing’ competencies and are the same as those required for the Clinical Nurse Specialist role. However, for both Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners, these are practised at a ‘higher level’.

•  Other competencies needed for the Nurse Practitioner role relate to the knowledge and skills required to assess, diagnose and determine nursing and medical management of a patient and to evaluate that management. Data indicated, however, that even these competencies were being used by some Clinical Nurse Specialists. Final analysis enabled the identification of the two roles with the use of a ‘Typology of Named Clinical Nursing Roles’.
Works of art: a complement to theoretical knowledge when teaching nursing care
Authors: Wikström Britt‐Maj
Published: March 2003

•  Visual art dialogues were used in student nurses’ education as a teaching and learning complement to theoretical knowledge of nursing care.

•  An intervention group as well as a control group discussed what was characteristic of good nursing care. The control group was used to control for the effects of visual art dialogues in the intervention group.

•  The study was undertaken at two university colleges of health sciences in Sweden. Data were collected from student nurses (n=267) during their first year of study.

•  The Wheel Questionnaire was used in the intervention group and control group. It measured three aspects of student nurses’ perception of nursing situations: structure, the extent of emotional involvement, and motivation.

•  The results showed statistical differences (one wayANOVA) between the intervention group in which visual art dialogues were implemented and the control group.

•  Students in the intervention group, compared to the control group, were more structured, motivated and emotionally balanced when they expressed the elements most typical of good nursing care. They showed personal readiness in caring situations.
Placing a spouse in a care home: the importance of keeping
Authors: Sandberg  , Lundh  , Nolan
Published: March 2003

• Despite a universal policy of community care, the number of frail older people entering care homes is likely to increase in the future.

• There have been relatively few studies exploring the experience of spouses who have placed a partner in care.

• Due to a lack of preparation, the placement process is often ad hoc, with little attention being given to spouses’ emotional reactions or their efforts to maintain their relationship with their partner.

• The relationship between care home staff and families is often superficial and strained.

• There is a need for more proactive efforts to facilitate a partnership between care home staff and families.
Screening swallowing function of patients with acute stroke. Part one: identification, implementation and initial evaluation of a screening tool for use by nurses
Authors: Perry Lin
Published: March 2003

• Stroke is a major cause of acute and chronic disability in the developed world, producing a wide range of impairments, including dysphagia, which impact upon eating.

• Dysphagia affects between one and two thirds of patients with acute stroke, with the potential for life‐threatening airway obstruction, aspiration pneumonia and malnutrition.

• Whilst associated with increased impairment, dysphagia may present in isolation or accompanied by minimal disability; universal screening of swallowing function is recommended.

• This study describes the process undertaken to review the evidence for dysphagia screening methods in patients with acute stroke. It also identifies, implements and establishes sensitivity and specificity of a screening tool (the Standardized Swallowing Assessment, SSA) for use by nurses.

• Not all ward staff had completed training to use the SSA by conclusion of the patient audit. Nonetheless 123 out of 165 assessable patients (74.5%) had their swallow function screened, 64 by SSA (52%). Based on 68 completed screening episodes by independently competent nurses, a comparison with summative clinical judgement of swallow function revealed a sensitivity of 0.97 and specificity of 0.9 for detection of dysphagia, with positive and negative predictive values of 0.92 and 0.96. This was significantly better than gag reflex performance, supporting the use of the SSA by competent ward nurses.
A phenomenological study of pain following fractured shaft of femur
Authors: Santy Julie , Mackintosh Carolyn
Published: March 2003

• There is very little work that discusses the pain experience following fractured shaft of femur. Therefore, an exploratory phenomenological study of the individual experience of pain following a traumatic fracture of the shaft of femur was conducted.

• Two key themes emerged: the injury experience and the pain experience, both linked to the need to maintain physical integrity.

• The findings underline the highly complex nature of the pain experience and illustrate the range of experiences that individuals with traumatic fractures are exposed to.

• The findings have implications for the nursing and medical management of patients following long bone fracture.
Systematic reviews: gatekeepers of nursing knowledge
Authors: Evans David , Pearson Alan
Published: March 2003

• The past few decades have seen a considerable increase in the number of available health care products and interventions. This growth has been matched by a similar expansion in the health care literature. As a result of these factors, the demand for evidence to support practice is growing, but finding the best evidence is becoming increasingly difficult.

• In response, the use of systematic reviews is increasing and they are starting to replace the primary research as the basis for health care decisions.

• To date, these reviews have focused predominantly on effectiveness and so have been limited to randomized controlled trials. As a result of this, the interpretive, observational and descriptive research methods that are utilized by nursing have commonly been either excluded from the review or are classified as ‘low level’ evidence.

• To address this, nursing must participate in the development of systematic review methods that better answer the questions posed by the profession.
Nurses’ competence in advising and supporting clients to cease smoking: a survey among Finnish nurses
Authors: Pelkonen Marjaana , Kankkunen Päivi
Published: March 2003

• The article describes the results of a survey of Finnish nurses (n=882).

• The purpose of the study was to describe how nurses’ education, working experience and their own smoking habits relate to their self‐reported competence in advising and supporting clients to cease smoking.

• Nurses evaluated their skills fairly highly, but did not believe that advice alone was helpful to clients who wished to cease smoking.

• Nurses had minimal knowledge of smoking substitutes.

• Lower general education, a fairly short time from graduation and a history of smoking were positively related to nurses’ competence to guide clients.

• Nurses who smoked daily were found to have better skills in giving advice and support than their non‐smoking colleagues.

• The results have implications for the design of smoking cessation programmes.

• More education and guidance is required for nurses, so that they can develop their understanding and a positive view as to the effectiveness of smoking cessation programmes.