bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colonization success of carabid beetles on Baltic islands
Authors: Kotze D. Johan , Niemelä Jari , Nieminen Marko
Published: March 2003

Aims

(1) To test whether there is a significant increase in carabid species richness with an increase in island size and, if so, if it is due to island areaper seor habitat diversity. (2) To investigate whether scattered islands accumulate species quicker than islands close to each other, per island size. (3) To investigate changes in the proportions of carabid wing morphs between the Finnish mainland and islands in the Baltic Sea.

Location

Islands in the south‐western archipelago of Finland, in the Baltic Sea.

Methods

Carabid beetles were collected using pitfall traps (diameter, 65 mm; volume, 170 mL), half‐filled with an ethylene‐glycol–water mixture, from 22 May to 20 September 1993 on 24 islands. Island size varied between 0.5 andc.7000 ha, and each island had between one and four habitat types sampled.

Results

A total of 61 carabid species were captured on these islands.Pterostichus nigerwas numerically dominant on 15 of the 24 islands and made up 34.5% of the total catch. The islands had a significantly higher proportion of brachypterous species compared to the Finnish mainland. The islands also accumulated species at a much slower rate (z = 0.06) than that generally observed in the literature, and, for carabids, a mainly predacious group, habitat diversity had little predictive power in explaining species richness. Islands close to each other (a few hundred metres apart) accumulated species at a slower rate than did scattered islands, as island size increased.

Main conclusions

Although carabids disperse relatively easily to remote islands (perhaps a result of low Baltic Sea salinity and short interisland distances), colonization success appears to depend on a multitude of factors, including availability of suitable habitat on these islands, competitive superiority, survival ability during dispersal and island arrival sequence.
Are local patterns of anthropoid primate diversity related to patterns of diversity at a larger scale?
Authors: Lawes M. J. , Eeley H. A. C.
Published: March 2003

Aims  (1) To determine the relationship between local and regional anthropoid primate species richness. (2) To establish the spatial and temporal scale at which the ultimate processes influencing patterns of primate species coexistence operate.

Location Continental landmasses of Africa, South America and Asia (India to China, and all islands as far south as New Guinea).

Methods  The local–regional species richness relationship for anthropoid primates is estimated by regressing local richness against regional richness (independent variable). Local richness is estimated in small, replicate local assemblages sampled in regions that vary in total species richness. A strong linear relationship is taken as evidence that local assemblages are unsaturated and local richness results from proportional sampling of the regional pool. An asymptotic curvilinear relationship is interpreted to reflect saturated communities, where strong biotic interactions limit local richness and local processes structure the species assemblage. As a further test of the assumption of local assemblage saturation, we looked for density compensation in high‐density local primate assemblages.

Results  The local–regional species richness relationship was linear for Africa and South America, and the slope of the relationship did not differ between the two continents. For Asia, curvilinearity best described the relationship between local and regional richness. Asian primate assemblages appear to be saturated and this is confirmed by density compensation among Asian primates. However, density compensation was also observed among African primates. The apparent assemblage saturation in Asia is not a species–area phenomenon related to the small size of the isolated islands and their forest blocks, since similar low local species richness occurs in large forests on mainland and/or peninsular Asia.

Main conclusions In Africa and South America local primate assemblage composition appears to reflect the influence of biogeographic processes operating on regional spatial scales and historical time scales. In Asia the composition of primate assemblages are by‐and‐large subject to ecological constraint operating over a relatively small spatial and temporal scale. The possible local influence of the El Niño Southern Oscillations on the evolution and selection of life‐history characteristics among Asian primates, and in determining local patterns of primate species coexistence, warrants closer inspection.
Biogeographic relationships of the Galapagos terrestrial biota: parsimony analyses of endemicity based on reptiles, land birds andScalesialand plants
Authors: Bisconti  , Landini  , Bianucci  , Cantalamessa  , Carnevale  , Ragaini  , Valleri
Published: March 2003

Aim

The aim of this work is to provide a parsimony analysis of the Galapagos terrestrial vertebrates to understand their origin and relationships within the archipelago and to the American continents.

Location

The Galapagos archipelago is located 1000 km off the western coast of Ecuador. It is formed by 13 large islands (greater than 10 km2), six smaller islands and over 40 islets that have official names. Other small rocks and islets remain unnamed. The archipelago straddles the equator at the 90th meridian west.

Methods

Lists of the living reptilian, land bird species and genera andScalesialand plant species were compiled from various published and online works. Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (PAE) was used to find the most parsimonious cladograms depicting the biogeographic relationships of Galapagos to the American continents and the intra‐archipelago ones. Analyses of species richness vs. island extents, species sharing vs. distance between islands, and species sharing vs. island extents were performed to assess the distribution patterns of the analysed vertebrates.

Results

Genus distribution‐based PAE results suggest that Galapagos archipelago was settled by South American reptiles. The Galapagos islands cluster with Ecuador, Chile and Peru. A large American clade including Meso‐America, USA, Mexico and Colombia is supported by this work too. Sister group relationships between the Galapagos–western South American clade and the large American clade are not defined. Species distribution‐based PAE results are not able to place the Galapagos into any clade. PAE intra‐archipelago output shows that large islands cluster together, very small islands are placed with lesser confidence because of ecological noise explained by the analyses of species richness vs. extent, shared species vs. distance between islands, and shared species vs. extent relationships. This distribution‐based work supports previously published phylogeny‐based biogeographic analyses and corroborates them with an independent evidence. Two competing colonization models of the archipelago are discussed.
Modern pollen–vegetation and isopoll maps in southern Argentina
Authors: Paez M. M. , Schäbitz F. , Stutz S.
Published: March 2003

Aim

To study the relation between vegetation and pollen spectra as a basic information for the interpretation of Quaternary paleoenvironments.

Location

Southern Argentina between latitude 38–47° S and longitude 62–72° W.

Methods

Pollen analysis, statistical analysis, geographical information system (GIS).

Results

Results of cluster analysis of pollen surface samples show close relations between the dispersal and composition of pollen taxa in the spectra with the corresponding vegetation formations. First isopoll maps of this region presented here by using GIS, demonstrate the relation between the main pollen taxa, the vegetation and the mean annual precipitation.

Main conclusions

The results prove the usefulness of the method of ‘modern analogues’ for southern Argentina.
Relative influences of patch, landscape and historical factors on birds in an Australian fragmented landscape
Authors: Mac Nally Ralph , Horrocks Gregory
Published: March 2003

Aim

Animal assemblages in fragmented landscapes are likely to be determined by contemporary (e.g. patch size, biotic interactions) and historical (e.g. change in patch area) characteristics of patches and their positioning in the landscape (e.g. connectivity). We considered the influence of habitat structure, landscape context, history and an aggressive, native bird species [the Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala (Latham 1801)] on three characteristics of woodland‐dependent bird assemblages in a fragmented, eucalypt‐forest landscape. The response variables were: (1) species richness (SR), (2) sums‐of‐densities (i.e. total number of individual birds), and (3) occurrence of rare species [through a rare‐species index (RSI)].

Location

Box‐ironbark, eucalypt forests of central Victoria, Australia (broadly bounded by: 36–37° S, 142–146° E).

Methods

There were replicates of four size‐classes of fragments (10, 20, 40, 80 ha) and replicates of the same size‐classes set within large blocks of extant forest. This design allowed us to distinguish between area‐specific and fragmentation effects by comparing same‐sized fragments and reference areas to establish fragmentation‐specific impacts.

Results

Species richness was less than expected in smaller fragments and this was apparently because of current fragment area, density of the Noisy Miner and habitat quality. The RSI exhibited similar dependencies, while sums‐of‐densities appeared to be related to the number and quality of wooded linkages to fragments. The historical variable was forested–area change of each fragment between 1963 and 1996, and was found to have no relationship to any of the response variables.

Main conclusions

The lack of historical influence suggested that the avifaunas of the fragments are unlikely to be `relaxing' from isolation effects through local extinctions, but are more likely to be dominated by dynamic recolonization and abandonment both seasonally and among years. The dependence of sums‐of‐densities on the linkage variable appeared to be largely because of the responses of two species, the Red Wattlebird Anthochaera curunculata (Shaw, 1790) and the Yellow‐tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops (Latham, 1801). These species are among the three most common in the large forest blocks, but are much rarer in fragments. The connectedness effect suggests that these species may depend upon linkages to occupy fragments that are only moderately distant from large forested areas within this region.
A test of the metapopulation model of the species–area relationship
Authors: Matter Stephen F. , Hanski Ilkka , Gyllenberg Mats
Published: March 2003

AbstractAimThe species–area relationship is a ubiquitous pattern. Previous methods describing the relationship have done little to elucidate mechanisms producing the pattern. Hanski & Gyllenberg (Science, 1997,275, 397) have shown that a model of metapopulation dynamics yields predictable species–area relationships. We elaborate on the biological interpretation of this mechanistic model and test the prediction that communities of species with a higher risk of extinction caused by environmental stochasticity should have lower species–area slopes than communities experiencing less impact of environmental stochasticity.

MethodsWe develop the mainland–island version of the metapopulation model and show that the slope of the species–area relationship resulting from this model is related to the ratio of population growth rate to variability in population growth of individual species. We fit the metapopulation model to five data sets, and compared the fit with the power function model and Williams's (Ecology, 1995,76, 2607) extreme value function model. To test that communities consisting of species with a high risk of extinction should have lower slopes, we used the observation that small‐bodied species of vertebrates are more susceptible to environmental stochasticity than large‐bodied species. The data sets were divided into small and large bodied species and the model fit to both.

Results and main conclusionsThe metapopulation model showed a good fit for all five data sets, and was comparable with the fits of the extreme value function and power function models. The slope of the metapopulation model of the species–area relationship was greater for larger than for smaller‐bodied species for each of five data sets. The slope of the metapopulation model of the species–area relationship has a clear biological interpretation, and allows for interpretation that is rooted in ecology, rather than ad hoc explanation.
Zoogeography and relationships of Australasian skates (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae)
Authors: Last Peter R. , Yearsley Gordon K.
Published: March 2003

Aim  To investigate distributional patterns and derivation of skates in the Australasian realm.

Location  Australasia.

Methods  Genus‐group skate taxa were defined for this region for the first time and new systematic information, as well as bathymetric and geographical data, used to identify distribution patterns.

Results  The extant skate fauna of Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and adjacent subAntarctic dependencies) is highly diverse and endemic with sixty‐two species from twelve currently recognized, nominal genus‐group taxa. These include the hardnose skate (rajin) groups Anacanthobatis, Amblyraja, Dipturus, Okamejei, Rajella and Leucoraja, and softnose skate (arhynchobatin) genera Arhynchobatis, Bathyraja, Insentiraja, Irolita, Pavoraja and Notoraja. Additional new and currently unrecognized nominal taxa of both specific and supraspecific ranks also occur in the region. The subfamily Arhynchobatinae is particularly speciose in Australasia, and the New Zealand/New Caledonian fauna is dominated by undescribed supraspecific taxa and species. The Australian fauna, although well represented by arhynchobatins, is dominated by Dipturus‐like skates and shows little overlap in species composition with the fauna of New Zealand and New Caledonia. Similarly, these faunas exhibit no overlap with the polar faunas of the Australian subAntarctic dependencies (Heard and Macdonald Islands) to the south. Skates appear to be absent from the Macquarie Ridge at the southern margin of the New Zealand Plateau. Their absence off New Guinea probably reflects inadequate sampling and the subsequent poor knowledge of that region's deepwater fish fauna.

Main conclusions  Skates appear to have existed in the eastern, Australasian sector of Gondwana before fragmentation in the late Cretaceous. The extant fauna appears to be derived from elements of Gondwanan origin, dispersal from the eastern and western Tethys Sea, and intraregional vicariance speciation.
A model for the species–area–habitat relationship
Authors: Triantis K. A. , Mylonas M. , Lika K. , Vardinoyannis K.
Published: March 2003

Aim  To propose a model (the choros model) for species diversity, which embodies number of species, area and habitat diversity and mathematically unifies area per se and habitat hypotheses.

Location  Species richness patterns from a broad scale of insular biotas, both from island and mainland ecosystems are analysed.

Methods  Twenty‐two different data sets from seventeen studies were examined in this work. The r2 values and the Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) were used in order to compare the quality of fit of the choros model with the Arrhenius species–area model. The classic method of log‐log transformation was applied.

Results  In twenty of the twenty‐two cases studied, the proposed model gave a better fit than the classic species–area model. The values of z parameter derived from choros model are generally lower than those derived from the classic species–area equation.

Main conclusions  The choros model can express the effects of area and habitat diversity on species richness, unifying area per se and the habitat hypothesis, which as many authors have noticed are not mutually exclusive but mutually supplementary. The use of habitat diversity depends on the specific determination of the ‘habitat’ term, which has to be defined based on the natural history of the taxon studied. Although the values of the z parameter are reduced, they maintain their biological significance as described by many authors in the last decades. The proposed model can also be considered as a stepping‐stone in our understanding of the small island effect.
Insular radiation of the genusHydropsyche(Insecta, Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) Pictet, 1834 in the Philippines and its implications for the biogeography of Southeast Asia
Authors: Mey Wolfram
Published: March 2003

Aims To record and elucidate the phylogeny and biogeography of a species swarm of the genusHydropsyche(Insecta, Trichoptera) in the Philippines. All species belong to thehamiferagroup.

Location The Philippines and neighbouring areas.

Methods A phylogenetic analysis based on variation of morphological characters of the male phallic apparatus.

Results The species swarm is differentiated into three clades of different age.

Conclusion Alternative dispersal and vicariance hypotheses are considered in an attempt to explain the colonization of the Philippine archipelago and the subsequent ramification of the group. The vicariance hypothesis based on the late Miocene accretion of continental fragments to the Philippines appears to be the most parsimonious. The evolution of the swarm occurred on the Philippines. Later on species dispersed to Borneo, Sulawesi and the Moluccas. The species swarm has undergone an adaptive radiation which enabled the simultaneous occurrence of species in the same streams.
District nurses' perceptions of health education
Authors: Cantrell Jane
Published: March 2003

• This paper presents a small qualitative study examining district nurses' perceptions of health education in one community trust.

• District nurses perceive health education to be an important part of the role.

• There are various factors that both facilitate and constrain the district nurses' health education role.

• District nurses feel that it is essential that their health education role is valued by other health care professionals; therefore evaluation of this function is seen as significant.
A comparative study of the attitudes of users and non‐users towards computerized care planning
Authors: GETTY MARION , RYAN ASSUMPTA A. , EKINS BA MATTHEW L. C.
Published: March 2003

• The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes of nurses who had little or no experience of computerized care planning (non‐users) with those who had at least two years' experience (users).

• The study also assessed levels of computer literacy among both cohorts and the training methods that were considered most appropriate to meet their needs.

• The approach was quantitative, using a questionnaire to collect data from 15 non‐users and 14 users.

• The overall results suggest that both non‐users and users had favourable attitudes towards the use of computerized care plans. However, non‐users with previous computer experience had more favourable attitudes towards the introduction of computerized care planning than those with no previous experience.

• The preferred teaching method identified by both groups was training by technical staff in the clinical area.
Identifying strategies for managing urinary incontinence with women who have multiple sclerosis
Authors: Koch Tina , Kelly Shayne
Published: March 2003

• The aim of this pilot project was to identify strategies for managing incontinence with women who have multiple sclerosis (MS).

• The project used the formation of a group in which eight women with MS and four Continence Nurse Advisers (CNAs) and the first author were brought together.

• In the course of the research process, the women found a voice on a topic previously thought of as taboo. When they realized that they had suffered alone and in silence they felt empowered to act.

• In this way, the methodology evolved from group work into a participatory action research process (PAR), as the group initiated action.

• Participants formed a self‐help group, and continued to meet with each other after the research had run its course.
Quality of nursing care perceived by patients and their nurses: an application of the critical incident technique. Part 2
Authors: REDFERN SALLY , NORMAN IAN
Published: March 2003

• The aims of the study were to identify indicators of quality of nursing care from the perceptions of patients and nurses, and to determine the congruence between patients' and nurses' perceptions.

• The paper is presented in two parts. Part 1 included the background and methods to the study and the findings from the comparison of patients' and nurses' perceptions. Part 2 describes the perceptions of patients and nurses, and draws conclusions drawn from the study as a whole.

• Patients and nurses in hospital wards were interviewed using the critical incident technique.

• We grouped 4546 indicators of high and low quality nursing care generated from the interview transcripts into 316 subcategories, 68 categories and 31 themes.

• The themes were grouped into eight clusters: therapeutic context for care, attitudes and sensitivity, teaching and leadership, motivation to nurse, monitoring and informing, high‐dependency care, efficiency and thoroughness, reflection and anticipation.

• As shown in Part 1 of the paper, congruence between patients' and nurses' perceptions of quality was high and significant, although there was some difference of emphasis.

• The findings support an emerging theory of interpersonal competence and quality in nursing care.
Patients with implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators and their conceptions of the life situation: a qualitative analysis
Authors: Fridlund  , Lindgren  , Ivarsson  , Jinhage  , Bolse  , Flemme  , Sandstedt  , Mårtensson
Published: March 2003

• The implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) is today widely used for the treatment of sudden cardiac near‐death episodes as a result of malignant ventricular dysrhythmia.

• After examining the literature, only four descriptive studies, all carried out in the USA, with a qualitative analysis based on ICD‐patients’ own perspectives on their life situation have been found.

• The aim of this study was to describe how patients living with an ICD‐device in south‐western Sweden conceive their life situation.

• As the focus was on patients’ conceptions seen from a holistic perspective, an analysis inspired by phenomenography was employed on a strategic sample of 15 ICD‐patients.

• Six categories emerged: a feeling of safety, a feeling of gratitude, a feeling of being, having a network, having a belief in the future, and gaining awareness.

• Although the findings cannot be generalized because of the descriptive research design, they illuminate the beneficial as well as intrusive effects of such a device, and emphasize the need for support groups for patients and families as well as further education for personnel in hospital and primary health care.
Paying Peter and Paul: reconciling concepts of expertise with competency for a clinical career structure
Authors: Manley Kim , Garbett Rob
Published: March 2003

• This paper identifies current UK policy for exploring both competence and expertise.

• It is argued that the purpose of assessing competence and expertise is relevant in deciding the approaches used.

• Different perspectives about competence, specifically those that have arisen in the United States and the United Kingdom, are considered in relation to how competencies may be developed and assessed. The different terms used in discussion about competency are also discussed.

• From the literature, criteria for selecting experts in nursing, the attributes of expertise and enabling factors are presented in relation to how expertise in practice may be judged.

• The pilot recognition process and development of evidence for the Royal College of Nursing’s Expert Practice Project, together with its facilitation through critical companionship, are described.

• It is concluded that the processes necessary for demonstrating expertise in practice are consistent with the recognition that the attributes of expertise are interdependent, complex and situational. Critical companionship provides a mechanism which is primarily developmental and supportive, but focuses on practice development and practitioners’ effectiveness and can result in the development of evidence for a range of different purposes such as demonstrating expertise, as well as practice development, service development and career progression.
Attitudes of paediatric medical ward staff to a dog visitation programme
Authors: MOODY WENDY J. , KING ROBERT , O'ROURKE SUZANNE
Published: March 2003

• No previous studies regarding either structured, strictly controlled pet visitation programmes in paediatric hospital wards or hospital staff attitudes towards them have been conducted in Australia. Information regarding these is essential in order to minimize problems during implementation of such programmes.

• The aim of the study was to analyse hospital staff perceptions regarding the introduction of a pet visitation programme in an acute paediatric medical ward prior to and following implementation of the programme and to compare attitudes between the various professional groups.

• The study consisted of two cross‐sectional surveys. A total of 224 anonymous questionnaires were distributed to administrators, doctors, nursing staff and therapists 6 weeks before and 195 were distributed 12 weeks after the introduction of a pet visitation programme. Responses were received from 115 respondents (before the programme introduction) and 45 respondents (after the programme introduction).

• Prior to the introduction of the dog visitation programme, there were high staff expectations that the programme would distract children from their illness, relax children and that it was a worthwhile project for the hospital to undertake.

• Following implementation of the programme these expectations were strongly endorsed, in addition to the perception that the ward was a happier place, the work environment was more interesting and that nurses accepted the dogs. After implementation staff were less concerned about the possibility of dog bites and dogs doing damage to equipment.

• Allied health staff and non‐clinical staff were more positive about the programme with respect to ward climate and acceptance than were doctors and nurses.

• We conclude that well‐planned dog visitation programmes result in positive anticipation among staff and high levels of satisfaction following programme impact.
Intermittent versus indwelling catheters for older patients with hip fractures
Authors: JOHANSSON INGER , ATHLIN ELSY , FRYKHOLM LILLEMOR , BOLINDER HELEN , LARSSON GERRY
Published: March 2003

• Nursing staff identified postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) in patients with hip fracture as an increasing problem. A quality improvement project was carried out to investigate the problem and to reduce the incidence.

• The aim of the study was to describe the occurrence of UTI among patients with hip fracture before and after surgery, to assess whether the decision to use intermittent catheters instead of indwelling catheters was adopted and to test the hypothesis that hospital stay is significantly longer for patients with UTI than for those without infection.

• One hundred and forty‐four patients were investigated for bacteriuria before the first catheterization and 1 week after the last catheterization.

• Positive urine cultures on admission to hospital were found in 38% of patients. Among those free from bacteria on admission, 61% had a positive urine culture after indwelling catheterization compared with 32% in the group treated with intermittent catetherization.

• A significantly longer hospital stay (P ≤ 0.05) was found among patients with UTI. The reason for using an indwelling catheter was not found in any medical or nursing documentation for 29% of the patients.

• The study points to the necessity for systematic assessment to detect and prevent UTI among older patients with hip fracture.
Differences and similarities in the perception of caring between Spanish and UK nurses
Authors: Watson Roger , Hoogbruin Amandah Lea , Rumeu Carmen , Beunza Maribel , Barbarin Beatriz , Macdonald Julie , Mccready Tracey
Published: March 2003

• The aim of the present paper was to compare and contrast perceptions of caring in nursing between Spanish and UK nurses.

• There are no previous studies comparing directly the perceptions of caring across cultures in nursing.

• A survey method was used employing the 25‐item Caring Dimensions Inventory. Data were Mokken scaled for comparison with data from a previous study and scores for common items on the 25‐item Caring Dimension Inventory for Spanish and UK nurses were correlated.

• There were similarities and differences between Spanish and UK nurses' perceptions of caring: many similar items were incorporated into Mokken scales but the endorsement of items did not correlate.

• The present work demonstrates that it is possible to measure differences and similarities in perceptions of caring. The study design could be improved and such work could be valuable in cross‐cultural work with nurses.
Referrals from home care to emergency hospital care: basis for decisions
Authors: Kihlgren Annica Larsson , Fagerberg Ingegerd , Skovdahl Kirsti , Kihlgren Mona
Published: March 2003

• The Swedish government implemented a reform, the Adel reform, in the care of older citizens in 1992, so that the communities where older people live became responsible for their care and housing. Nurses were appointed to make sure that older people were given accurate care and to act as supervisors for nurses' aides.

• In this study, 10 Registered Nurses from community home care services and four consultant head physicians in primary care were interviewed in order to illuminate what they thought influenced nurses' decisions to refer patients for emergency treatment and what support they requested to facilitate the decision.

• Content analysis showed the necessity of feeling secure in one's role as a community nurse. The categories that developed were: own competence, knowledge about the patient and a supportive working environment. The main theme was To feel safe in one's role – a basis for decision‐making. High demands were put on the nurses' competence and their burden of responsibility became too great. This influenced decision‐making negatively, if nurses felt that they were lacking in their own personal competence.

• Training in documentation for the nurses was required, as well as the need for organizations to provide staff with sufficient time for accurate documentation. A greater input of nursing and medical care was required to make it possible for patients to be cared for at home if they so wished.

• Respondents described considerable deficiencies in their working environment and in co‐workers' competence, and nurses' professional roles within the community were not made clear.

• If these problems were remedied, this would improve working conditions, increase understanding, and reduce feelings of uncertainty among decision‐makers.
Computer‐based instruction in qualitative research practices
Authors: Lewis R. , Busby J.S. , Payne K.
Published: March 2003

Abstract As a subject domain, qualitative research practice presents significant problems for instruction. It tends to be poorly codified and sometimes controversial. It is substantially skill‐based and calls on a heterogeneous set of skills. And it is a means‐domain rather than an end‐domain for research students who invariably have widely varying disciplinary and experiential backgrounds when first coming to it. The experience of teaching the subject also suggests some important obstacles to learning good practices. For example, many of the underlying skills (like testing the self‐interest of information sources) are skills developed in everyday life: yet new researchers often fail to transfer them to research work. This article describes an instructional system for qualitative research which is based on linking domain problems such as these to particular pedagogic mechanisms, and then linking these mechanisms in turn to various implementation decisions.
Has Minsky anything to say for education?
Authors: Boyle M.
Published: March 2003

Abstract This paper examines some of the concepts outlined by Artificial Intelligence researcher Marvin Minsky in his seminal work, The Society of Mind. The paper takes an overview of the work of Minsky and some of the criticism directed towards it. It then concentrates on two of the most significant agents suggested as models of aspects of the human mind by Minsky: the Frame and the K‐Line. An attempt is made to illustrate the significance of the agents of mind for human learning and organising learning milieu and the significance of computing as a meta‐model for the Society.
Adding intelligence to a learning environment: learner‐centred design?
Authors: Brna P. , Cox R.
Published: March 2003

Abstract The development of a specific learning environment into an intelligent learning environment (switchER II) is used as the basis of a discussion about the nature of ‘learner‐centred design’— an approach which is contrasted with user‐centred design, and is being advocated as an important move in the development of effective educational computing systems. An analysis of the notion of learner‐centred design leads to the need to develop appropriate methodologies to support learner‐centred design, to ensure that individual differences are respected, and that Artificial Intelligence techniques are applied appropriately.
A visualisation approach to learning the concept of recursion
Authors: Jehng J‐C. J. , Tung S‐H. S. , Chang C‐T.
Published: March 2003

This study investigated how a schematic‐based visualisation approach implemented in an electronic learning environment facilitated the learning of the complex programming concept. The semantic‐based visualisation approach applied Visualcode Rules and utilised various pictorial notations modeling the execution of recursive procedures. In this study, 38 college students studied the Scheme language and its recursive procedures in three different conditions. The three conditions were (a) the VisualScheme environment in which schematic‐based pictorial notations (e.g. coloured icons and environment trees) were employed to help learners trace intermediate steps of executing procedures; (b) an Internet learning environment in which an ordered sequence of static pictorial notations provide a snap shot and illuminate execution of recursive procedures; (c) an Internet learning environment in which on‐line source codes were annotated with detailed textual information. Results of the study indicated schematic‐based pictorial notations helped students to form a better conceptual framework for learning the concept of recursion. It is suggested that the design of an electronic learning environment may appropriately apply meaningful pictorial information to help students learn complex programming concepts.
Barriers to student computer usage: staff and student perceptions
Authors: McMahon J. , Gardner J. , Gray C. , Mulhern G.
Published: March 2003

Ensuring that all graduates are able to exploit new technologies is a primary goal of all UK universities and a variety of assumptions have underpinned policies designed to promote this goal. This paper explores some of these assumptions through the findings of a longitudinal study involving a cohort of over 800 university students. The study adopted a student perspective to examine the factors affecting their use of computers over a three year period. Unsurprisingly, the results indicated that situational factors (e.g. access, training and time) influence the extent to which students use computers, but a disparity was found in the importance attributed to these factors by the academic staff, who focused on the needs of their department, and by the students, who focused on their individual needs. Results suggest that increased attention to a student perspective may lead to improved strategic planning in students’ use of computers.
Specific help devices for educational hypermedia
Authors: Tricot A. , Pierre‐Demarcy C. , Boussarghini R. El
Published: March 2003

Abstract This paper examines the issue of help devices for students in hypermedia environments according to the learning context and, more precisely, according to the cognitive processes involved in that situation. The argument is based on a criticism of the level of generality of traditional help systems which are mostly concerned with user–system interaction. Three main types of learning situations are described: learning‐by‐doing, learning‐by‐instruction, learning‐by‐exploring and the main cognitive processes involved in these three situations are explored. From such descriptions, specific types of help devices are discussed and some perspectives relating to the design and evaluation of educational hypermedia applications are suggested.
Liberty, equality and consumerism in state education: exploring liberal angst under New Labour
Authors: Webster David , Parsons Ken
Published: March 2003

This paper aims to explore aspects of consumerism in state secondary education in England, the dilemmas posed by the educational market‐place for a category we describe as the ‘resourced liberal egalitarians’ and the resolution of these dilemmas offered by the actions of prominent Labour Party parents‐as‐consumers. Having outlined the individual and societal significance of education, the ideological and ‘economic’ dimensions of educational consumption are explored in order to locate the category ‘resourced liberal egalitarians’. This group's dilemmas are then explained in the context of the strengthening of the market principle and the polarizing of the market‐place within education. These together increase the stakes of protecting their own children's interests while simultaneously exacerbating the inegalitarian character of the education system, a situation which they find distasteful. The final section looks at how the actions of prominent Labour Party figures address this angst through their own actions as parent‐consumers of state education.
Juvenile shrubs show differences in stress tolerance, but no competition or facilitation, along a stress gradient
Authors: Donovan Lisa A. , Richards James H.
Published: March 2003

1 We investigated experimentally differences in abiotic stress tolerance and the effects of plant–plant interactions for two desert shrubs, Chrysothamnus nauseosus and Sarcobatus vermiculatus, along a soil salinity (NaCl) and boron (B) gradient at Mono Lake, California, USA. Based on differences in natural distribution, and the classical expectation of a trade‐off between competitive ability and stress tolerance, we hypothesized that (i) Chrysothamnus would have greater competitive ability than Sarcobatus at the low salinity end of the gradient, and that (ii) Sarcobatus would be more stress tolerant than Chrysothamnus.

2 Juvenile target plants of Chrysothamnus and Sarcobatus were planted into four sites along the gradient. Biomass was determined by destructive harvests over two growing seasons. At each site, interspecific relative competitive ability was assessed as the effect of Sarcobatus neighbours on Chrysothamnus targets compared to the effect of Chrysothamnus neighbours on Sarcobatus targets. Stress tolerance was assessed as the ability of each species to survive and grow, in the absence of neighbours, at different sites along the gradient.

3 The two species did not differ in the relative strength of plant–plant interactions, providing no support for the expectation that Chrysothamnus had greater competitive ability than Sarcobatus. Furthermore, there was no evidence for competition or facilitation, either interspecific or intraspecific, at any site in either year of the study. However, fertilization treatments demonstrated nutrient limitations, soil water reached limiting levels and root systems of targets and neighbours overlapped substantially. It is therefore surprising that plant–plant interactions among juveniles apparently play little role in the growth and survival of shrubs in this saline desert habitat.

4 Sarcobatus was more stress tolerant than Chrysothamnus and the two species performed optimally at different sites along the gradient. Sarcobatus juveniles grew best at the two most saline sites and survived at all sites, whereas Chrysothamnus juveniles grew best at a low‐salinity site and did not survive at the most saline site. The difference in site of optimal performance may be due to differences in nutrient limitations or to interactions between nutrient availability and sodium (Na) and B tolerance.
Response of dwarf shrubs to neighbour removal and nutrient addition and their influence on community structure in a subalpine heath
Authors: Gerdol Renato , Brancaleoni Lisa , Menghini Marisa , Marchesini Roberta
Published: March 2003

1 A 3‐year experiment involving nutrient addition and removal of one of two coexisting dwarf shrub species was conducted in two community types in a subalpine heathland on the northern Apennines (Italy). Vaccinium uliginosum occurred at all sites but was associated with the deciduous Vaccinium myrtillus at more sheltered nutrient‐rich sites (HV community), and with the evergreen Empetrum hermaphroditum where the habitat was poorer and more exposed (EV community). Length of current‐year shoots and fruit production of each species were determined in each of the 3 years, and standing crop at the beginning and end of the experiment.

2 The length of current‐year shoots of both deciduous species, but not of the evergreen, varied considerably between years, presumably due to varying temperatures at the beginning of the three growing seasons. Fruit production also varied.

3 Fertilization promoted an increase in the length of V. uliginosum shoots at the HV community but not at the EV community. The removal of V. uliginosum enhanced shoot elongation in V. myrtillus (HV community) but reduced shoot elongation in E. hermaphroditum (EV community). Neighbour removal did not affect shoot length of V. uliginosum at either community. There were few treatment effects on fruiting of these clonal species.

4 The standing crop in untreated stands did not change during the experimental period. Changes in shoot length resulting from environmental manipulations were not accompanied by consistent variation in the standing crop of any species. Standing crop increased only for V. myrtillus after removing V. uliginosum at the HV community (same direction as shoot length). The standing crop of E. hermaphroditum did not change after removing V. uliginosum at the EV community, although shoot length was significantly reduced. The standing crop of V. uliginosum was unaffected by neighbour removal and was decreased by nutrient addition at both communities.

5 None of the shrubs appeared able to utilize more abundant resources to increase above‐ground biomass. However, increased shoot length in nutrient‐rich habitats gave V. uliginosum a superior ability to capture light compared with V. myrtillus, the latter being more successful when the coexisting competitively superior species was removed. This would support Grime’s theory, indicating that competition becomes more important as soil resource levels increase. Positive interactions appeared to play a role in the more extreme habitat, where E. hermaphroditum normally benefited from the shelter of the V. uliginosum canopy but was able to adapt its architecture when exposed.
Livestock grazing in subtropical pastures: steps in the analysis of attribute response and plant functional types
Authors: McIntyre S. , Lavorel Sandra
Published: March 2003

In order to investigate the use of plant functional types as an alternative to floristic descriptions of response to grazing, we analysed plant communities from a cattle grazing experiment conducted in grassy eucalypt woodland in subtropical Queensland, Australia. The two variables analysed (landscape position and stocking rate) accounted for similar proportions of variation in the vegetation ground layer, although forbs were more sensitive to slope position and perennial grasses were more sensitive to stocking rate.

As grazing pressure increased, perennial grasses declined, while the relative proportion of forbs and annual grasses increased. Detailed functional group analyses were conducted for the perennial grass and forb life‐forms. Annual grasses were represented by only two species, preventing identification of functional types within this life‐form.

We conducted a five‐step analysis for both perennial grasses and forbs as follows: (i) defining grazing‐related species response groups; (ii) defining species groups based on natural attribute correlations; (iii) identifying attributes that changed significantly with grazing; (iv) identifying syndromes by relating (ii) and (iii); (v) describing functional types from (iii) and (iv), and assessing them against actual species response.

Eight grass and eight forb functional types were identified. Of the taxa that had an observed response to grazing, 54% of the grass taxa and 57% of the forb taxa corresponded to one of these functional types in terms of meeting both grazing response and trait criteria. The five‐stage analysis provided a comprehensive but complex approach to functional type identification.

The functional types identified can be summarized as follows. Low levels of grazing were associated with more medium‐sized, moderately leafy perennial grasses with wind‐dispersed or adhesive seeds, and more erect or twining forbs with large to medium sized seeds. High levels of grazing were associated with: more annual grasses; low‐growing leafy perennial grasses with small seeds having no dispersal appendages; mat‐forming large‐seeded forbs; and low‐growing, scrambling, small‐seeded forbs.
Plant responses to competition and soil origin across a prairie–forest boundary
Authors: Peltzer Duane A.
Published: March 2003

The distribution of different plant growth‐forms may be caused by interactions among plants. Previous studies show that prairie and forest vegetation have different competitive effects and also influence both resource availability and soil community structure.

I used a field experiment to distinguish between short‐term competitive effects and the long‐term effects of vegetation on soils. Soil cores were reciprocally transplanted between prairie and forest sites. Seedlings of a grass (Boutelouagracilis) and a shrub (Elaeagnuscommutata) were planted into these cores and grown with or without neighbours.

Soil origin did not significantly alter the survival, growth or responses to competition of either transplant species. Bouteloua and Elaeagnus growth was suppressed by neighbours to about the same extent in prairie, but only Bouteloua growth was suppressed in forest, resulting in a significant interaction between environment and competition. All except one of the interactions involving soil origin were not significant, suggesting that plant‐soil feedbacks did not modify the effects of competition or environment.

The results suggest that environment and competition have much larger influences on the performance of juvenile plants in the field than does soil origin. Further work is needed to determine the relative importance of resource competition and soil community effects on plant performance among species and study systems.