bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The worldwide transfer of ants: geographical distribution and ecological invasions
Authors: McGlynn Terrence P.
Published: March 2003

AimThis is the first comprehensive account of the biogeography of ants transferred and at least temporarily established outside their native habitat.

LocationUsing museum and literature records, I established the distributions of transferred ant species.

MethodsI used taxonomic and functional groups to assess how geographical spread as a transferred species is affected by taxonomy and life history.

Results147 ant species in forty‐nine genera have been recorded outside of their native habitat. The proportion of transferred ants is similar to the number of genera and species in each subfamily. The species‐rich subfamily Myrmicinae contains nearly 50% of all transferred species, while many of the species‐poor subfamilies have absolutely no transferred species. A disproportionate high number of transferred ants originate from the Neotropical and Oriental biogeographic regions. The Pacific Islands are the recipients of the most transferred ant species. Most transferred ants belong to the CRYPTIC, OPPORTUNIST, and GENERALIZED MYRMICINE functional groups, while there are no recorded transfers of army ants or leaf‐cutting ants. Both invasive and human commensal ‘tramp’ ant species are nonrandom subsets of transferred ants.

Main conclusions‘Tramp’ species and invasive species tend to have widespread geographical distributions, and share life history characteristics including queen number, nest structure, and foraging behaviour. Combining observations of functional groups and biogeography may lead to a better understanding of the factors contributing to the spread of transferred species.
Species turnover, community boundaries and biogeographical composition of dung beetle assemblages across an altitudinal gradient in South Africa
Authors: Davis Adrian L. V. , Scholtz Clarke H. , Chown Steven L.
Published: March 2003

AimTo identify biogeographical boundaries which are obscured by faunal overlap and habitat modification.

LocationKwaZulu‐Natal in south‐east, South Africa beyond the southern tip of the Moçambique Coastal Plain.

MethodsSpecies abundance data for dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) were collected at six levels from the coastal escarpment (30°16′S – 500 m) to the top of the nearby Drakensberg (29°35′S – 2850 m). Cross‐altitudinal boundaries were identified using clustering techniques, beta‐diversity indices, and range edge analysis. Biogeographical data for the species were drawn from an extensive reference collection and used to classify the biogeographical affinities of the assemblages.

ResultsThree discrete communities are defined (<10% similarity) from species abundance distributions. These communities occur in coastal forest (500 m), coastal to highveld grassland (500–1500 m), and montane grassland (1900–2850 m). Two of these communities are biogeographically homogeneous comprising >89% east coast endemics (coastal forest) or >84% South African montane endemics (montane grassland) in terms of abundance. The third community in coastal to highveld grassland is biogeographically more heterogeneous. Predominant biota of this community comprise both South African highveld endemics and elements with distributions extending into the tropics. At highveld levels (1500 m), there are proportionately more highveld endemics whereas at lowland levels (500 m), there are proportionately more tropical elements. At 1000 m, there was a change in the balance between these two groups across an anthropogenic gradient due to a decline in the proportion of endemics in favour of temperate/tropical generalists. This gradient from a natural grassland fragment to improved pastures of Kikuyu grass also parallels a decline in species richness and abundance. Species turnover analyses showed three different cross‐altitudinal patterns. Range‐edge analysis showed a trimodal pattern of species turnover (peaks in forest and the Drakensberg foothills as in the community analysis but also at 1000 m). Five beta‐diversity indices showed either a bimodal pattern of turnover (forest/grassland and foothills/middle Drakensberg slopes) or a trimodal turnover pattern (forest/grassland, highveld/Drakensberg foothills, Drakensberg peaks).

Main conclusionsClear altitudinal zonation is revealed by community and biogeographical analysis but one natural biogeographical boundary may be obscured by the process of habitat modification. This boundary at 1000 m is revealed by range‐edge analysis and is supported by findings for plant communities. Beta‐diversity, species turnover patterns diverged slightly from those suggested by the community and range‐edge analyses.
Small‐scale spatial variation of pasture molluscan faunas within a relic watermeadow system at Wylye, Wiltshire, U.K.
Authors: Davies P. , Grimes C. J.
Published: March 2003

AimTo acquire general quantitative data on the molluscan faunas of floodplain pastures, assessing the influence of (minor) topographic variation on molluscan distribution. Additionally, to examine the potential for analogous comparison with fossil data

LocationThe study was located within a relic watermeadow system currently used as floodplain pasture near Wylye, Wiltshire, U.K.

MethodsMollusca were extracted from forty turf samples collected from relic carriers (cf. ridges) and relic drains (cf. furrows). Molluscan faunal differences between carriers and drains were assessed usingTWINSPANand diversity indices.

ResultsThe dry relic carriers, characterized by a short grassy sward, showed a low‐diversityTrichia‐Vallonia‐Cochlicopa‐Nesovitreafauna. The damper relic drains, characterized by longer vegetation comprising both rushes and grasses, additionally contained other molluscan species indicative of wetter and/or more sheltered conditions and had significantly more diverse faunas

Main conclusionsIntra‐site variability of molluscan faunas can be demonstrated with relatively minor changes in topography, hydrology and/or vegetation structure. In addition, the study clearly aids in the analogous interpretation of Holocene subfossil assemblages from the same region.
A fire history of a subalpine forest in south‐eastern Wyoming, USA
Authors: Kipfmueller Kurt F. , Baker William L.
Published: March 2003

Fire history was determined for part of the Routt‐Medicine Bow National Forest in south‐eastern Wyoming using fire‐scar and age‐class analysis. A composite chronology of fire events was used to determine mean fire intervals (MFI) for pre‐EuroAmerican settlement, EuroAmerican settlement (before 1868 ad), EuroAmerican settlement and modern (after 1912) periods, for all fires and stand‐replacing fires. Point‐scale MFI was also determined using grand means from individual trees. Stand‐replacing fires were reconstructed to determine fire rotation. MFI for the entire time period is 5.5–8.4 years. MFI decreased from 9.3 to 15.7–1.9–2.9 years from the preto post‐EuroAmerican settlement periods, and increased during the modern period. Point‐scale MFIs are longer than MFI of the study area. Fire rotation is 182 years for the total period of record, but increased from 127 years during the pre‐EuroAmerican settlement period to 170 years during the EuroAmerican settlement period. Fire rotation during the modern period dramatically increased to 27,035 years. Results suggest fire suppression may have influenced the fire regime. Comparison of regional fire events with fire events from this study indicate regional weather has an important influence on Rocky Mountain fire regimes.
Palaeovegetation of China: a pollen data‐based synthesis for the mid‐Holocene and last glacial maximum
Authors: Yu G. , Chen X. , Ni J. , Cheddadi R. , Guiot J. , Han H. , Harrison S. P. , Huang C. , Ke M. , Kong Z. , Li S. , Li W. , Liew P. , Liu G. , Liu J. , Liu Q. , Liu K.‐B. , Prentice I. C. , Qui W. , Ren G. , Song C. , Sugita S. , Sun X. , Tang L. , Van Campo E. , Xia Y. , Xu Q. , Yan S. , Yang X. , Zhao J. , Zheng Z.
Published: March 2003

Pollen data from China for 6000 and 18,000 14C yr bp were compiled and used to reconstruct palaeovegetation patterns, using complete taxon lists where possible and a biomization procedure that entailed the assignment of 645 pollen taxa to plant functional types. A set of 658 modern pollen samples spanning all biomes and regions provided a comprehensive test for this procedure and showed convincing agreement between reconstructed biomes and present natural vegetation types, both geographically and in terms of the elevation gradients in mountain regions of north‐eastern and south‐western China.

The 6000 14C yr bp map confirms earlier studies in showing that the forest biomes in eastern China were systematically shifted northwards and extended westwards during the mid‐Holocene. Tropical rain forest occurred on mainland China at sites characterized today by either tropical seasonal or broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forest. Broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forest occurred further north than today, and at higher elevation sites within the modern latitudinal range of this biome. The northern limit of temperate deciduous forest was shifted c. 800 km north relative to today.

The 18,000 14C yr bp map shows that steppe and even desert vegetation extended to the modern coast of eastern China at the last glacial maximum, replacing today’s temperate deciduous forest. Tropical forests were excluded from China and broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forest had retreated to tropical latitudes, while taiga extended southwards to c. 43°N.
Contemporary geography dominates butterfly diversity gradients within the Aegean archipelago (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea)
Authors: Dennis Roger L. H. , Shreeve Tim G. , Olivier Alain , Coutsis John G.
Published: March 2003

Aim We compare the influence of contemporary geography and historical influences on butterfly diversity for islands in the Aegean archipelago.

Location The Aegean archipelago (Greece) and two islands (Cyprus and Megisti) in the Levantine Sea.

Methods Thirty‐one islands were examined. Data are taken from own surveys (Coutsis and Olivier) and from the literature. Stepwise multiple regression is used to determine relationships between species richness, frequency, rarity and endemicity against potential geographical predictors. Stepwise logit regression is used to determine geographical predictors of species incidence on islands. Inter‐island and inter‐species associations have been examined using multivariate ordination and clustering techniques.

Results The Aegean butterfly fauna is characterized by decreasing diversity and rarity, and increasing homogeneity, from the periphery to the present geographical centre of the archipelago (Cyclades). Diversity and rarity are shown to relate closely to species richness, and species richness, in turn, is largely explained by contemporary geography, particularly the degree of isolation from the nearest mainland sources of Greece or Turkey, and island dimensions. Islands towards the centre of the archipelago are characterized by a group of mobile species (n ≥ 20 species) with extensive ranges across Europe; species that would have recolonized Santorini (Thira) following the VI6 eruption therec.1630 bc. Endemic components, indicative of autochthonous evolutionary events, are few (5% of species are endemic) compared to known sedentary organisms (molluscs and isopods), but exceed those for more mobile animals (i.e. birds); their distribution is mainly confined to large isolated islands along the Aegean arc (i.e. Kriti) and in the Dodecanese group.

Main conclusions Contemporary geography, i.e. processes currently operating in ecological time, dominates butterfly diversity gradients (species richness, frequency, rarity and incidence) in the archipelago. Two reasons are suggested to account for the lack of endemism and the pattern of decreasing diversity into the Cyclades. First, relict butterfly elements may have become extinct on all but a few larger islands, particularly from environmental changes since the Neolithic (fire and overgrazing). Second, colonization from the continental landmasses is ongoing with more mobile species transferring even to the most isolated islands.
Plant migration rates and seed dispersal mechanisms
Authors: Pakeman
Published: March 2003

Aim

Holocene plant migration rates appear to greatly exceed measured dispersal distances. This is a feature of species with all dispersal mechanisms and in all communities. The role of dispersal by large mammalian herbivores is explored as a mechanism that accounts for the observed dispersal rates.

Methods

A simple model was constructed that took into account herbivore dispersal and how migration rates might vary with herbivore territory size, gut survival and probability of consumption.

Results

Even at relatively low probabilities of consumption and gut survival, dispersal by animals within large territories could account for observed rates of dispersal in the palaeorecord. Animals with small territory sizes could not produce large enough rates of dispersal.

Main conclusions

As many modern day grassland plants appear to survive gut passage, endozoochory by large mammalian herbivores could be the main mechanism for long‐distance dispersal of herbaceous species.
Geographic variation in seed‐setting by heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) in the Scottish Highlands
Authors: Miller G. R. , Cummins R. P.
Published: March 2003

Aim

To assess the influence of oceanicity, altitude and latitude on spatial and temporal variations in the fecundity of heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) in Scotland.

Location

Mountain study areas located throughout the Highlands of Scotland.

Methods

Seed‐set was assessed as the number of seeds per heather capsule. At each mountain, the mean number of seeds per capsule was recorded at five sites spaced at 150 m height intervals up to heather’s upper altitudinal limit. Germinability was measured by incubating seeds at 20 °C after chilling at 2–3 °C for 6 weeks. Collateral cultivation of heather cuttings taken from sites below 450 m and above 900 m determined whether seed‐setting and germinability were under genetic or environmental control.

Results

Neither seed‐setting nor germinability was under genetic control. Seed‐setting generally declined with increasing site oceanicity and altitude but the effect of latitude was ill‐defined. Mean maximum temperature and total rainfall during August–September were the principal environmental controls. Germinability varied less widely but tended to be least towards heather’s upper altitudinal limit.

Main conclusions

Seed‐setting by heather varied in both space and time, depending mainly on late summer warmth. It was always copious below about 600 m but was sparse or even failed altogether on higher ground, particularly in the hyperoceanic west Highlands.
Natural variability in forests of the Grand Canyon, USA
Authors: Fulé Peter Z. , Covington W. Wallace , Moore Margaret M. , Heinlein Thomas A. , Waltz Amy E. M.
Published: March 2003

Aim

Compare contemporary with pre‐fire‐disruption forest structures, assessing the influence of factors that caused ecological change and evaluating remote sites as relatively natural areas.

Location

Grand Canyon National Park contains the largest never‐harvested and long‐term ungrazed forest ecosystem in Arizona, providing valuable sites for measuring natural variability. However, anthropogenic disruption of natural fire regimes since Euro‐American settlementc.1880 has led to changes in forest structure.

Methods

We compared species composition, tree structure, regeneration, and canopy cover on large (135–603 ha) ponderosa pine‐dominated study sites: (1) isolated points on the North Rim where some surface fires continued after 1880, (2) a higher‐elevation North Rim site where fire has been excluded and (3) a South Rim site, also without recent fire, with a paired Kaibab National Forest site. Forest tree structure prior to fire‐regime disruption was reconstructed with dendroecological techniques.

Results

Before fire exclusion, all sites had relatively low tree density (140–246 trees ha−1) dominated by large trees (basal area 9.1–28.5 m2 ha−1), primarily ponderosa pine or pine/Gambel oak on the South Rim. Currently all sites are relatively dense (389–955 trees ha−1, 14.1–41.3 m2 ha−1) but patterns of species composition and regeneration differed substantially with fire regime and elevation. Regeneration at continued‐fire sites was primarily through sprouting species, Gambel oak and New Mexican locust, forming a shrubby midstorey under a relatively open pine canopy. In contrast, all fire‐excluded sites were dense with seed‐reproducing conifer species.

Main conclusions

Comparison of change caused by climate fluctuation, tree cutting, fire exclusion, livestock herbivory, and wildlife herbivory, suggests that fire regime alteration appears to have played the greatest role. The remote North Rim sites provide a close analogue to conditions prior to fire regime disruption, a contemporary example of the forest characteristics that might have been extant had recent human‐caused disruption of disturbance regimes and heavy resource extraction not occurred. They merit broader study of natural variability on a range of ecological variables in ponderosa pine ecosystems.
Native American impacts on fire regimes of the California coastal ranges
Authors: Keeley Jon E.
Published: March 2003

Aim

Native American burning impacts on California shrubland dominated landscapes are evaluated relative to the natural lightning fire potential for affecting landscape patterns.

Location

Focus was on the coastal ranges of central and southern California.

Methods

Potential patterns of Indian burning were evaluated based upon historical documents, ethnographic accounts, archaeological records and consideration of contemporary land management tactics. Patterns of vegetation distribution in this region were evaluated relative to environmental factors and the resilience of the dominant shrub vegetation to different fire frequencies.

Results

Lightning fire frequency in this region is one of the lowest in North America and the density of pre‐Columbian populations was one of the highest. Shrublands dominate the landscape throughout most of the region. These woody communities have weak resilience to high fire frequency and are readily displaced by annual grasses and forbs under high fire frequency. Intact shrublands provided limited resources for native Americans and thus there was ample motivation for using fire to degrade this vegetation to an open mosaic of shrubland/grassland, not unlike the agropastoral modification of ecologically related shrublands by Holocene peoples in the Mediterranean Basin. Alien‐dominated grasslands currently cover approximately one‐quarter of the landscape and less than 1% of these grasslands have a significant native grass presence. Ecological studies in the Californian coastal ranges have failed to uncover any clear soil or climate factors explaining grassland and shrubland distribution patterns.

Main conclusions

Coastal ranges of California were regions of high Indian density and low frequency of lightning fires. The natural vegetation dominants on this landscape are shrubland vegetation that often form dense impenetrable stands with limited resources for Native Americans. Natural fire frequencies are not high enough to maintain these landscapes in habitable mixtures of shrublands and grasslands but such landscape mosaics are readily produced with additional human subsidy of ignitions. It is hypothesized that a substantial fraction of the landscape was type converted from shrubland to grassland and much of the landscape that underwent such type conversion has either been maintained by Euro‐American land management practices or resisted recolonization of native shrublands. It appears that these patterns are disturbance dependent and result from anthropogenic alteration of landscapes initiated by Native Americans and sustained and expanded upon by Euro‐American settlers.
Excess density compensation of island herpetofaunal assemblages
Authors: Rodda Gordon H. , Dean‐Bradley Kathryn
Published: March 2003

Aim

Some species reach extraordinary densities on islands. Island assemblages have fewer species, however, and it is possible that island species differ from their mainland counterparts in average mass. Island assemblages could be partitioned differently (fewer species or smaller individuals) from mainland sites without differing in aggregate biomass (density compensation). Our objective was to determine the generality of excess density compensation in island herpetofaunal assemblages.

Location

Our bounded removal plot data were obtained from Pacific Island sites (Guam, Saipan and Rota), the West Indies (British Virgin Islands), and the Indian Ocean (Ile aux Aigrettes off Mauritius). The literature values were taken from several locales. Other island locations included Barro Colorado Island, Bonaire, Borneo, Philippine Islands, Seychelle Islands, Barrow Island (Australia), North Brother Island (New Zealand), Dominica and Puerto Rico. Mainland sites included Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Australia, Thailand, Peru, Brazil, Panama and the USA.

Method

We added our thirty‐nine bounded total removal plots from sixteen island habitats to fifteen literature records to obtain seventy‐five venues with estimable density and biomass of arboreal or terrestrial herpetofaunal assemblages. These biomass estimates were evaluated geographically and in relation to sampling method, insularity, latitude, disturbance regime, seasonality, community richness, vegetative structure and climate. Direct data on trophic interactions (food availability, parasitism and predation pressure) were generally unavailable. Sampling problems were frequent for arboreal, cryptic and evasive species.

Results and main conclusions

We found strong evidence that herpetofaunal assemblages on small islands (mostly lizards) exhibit a much greater aggregate density of biomass (kg ha−1) than those of larger islands or mainland assemblages (small islands show excess density compensation). High aggregate biomass density was more strongly associated with the degree of species impoverishment on islands than it was on island area or insularity per se. High aggregate biomass density was not strongly associated with latitude, precipitation, canopy height or a variety of other physical characteristics of the study sites. The association between high aggregate biomass density and species‐poor islands is consistent with the effects of a reduced suite of predators on depauperate islands, but other features may also contribute to excess density compensation.
The role of climate in limiting European resident bird populations
Authors: Forsman Jukka T. , Mönkkönen Mikko
Published: March 2003

Abstract Aim  To study densities of eight groups of resident forest bird populations across Europe to examine their association with abiotic (temperature, precipitation) factors.

Location  Europe.

Methods  Densities of residents (and migrant birds, which were used as a control group) were extracted from published breeding bird censuses. For each census location we obtained geographical co‐ordinates (latitude and longitude), temperature and precipitation variables describing both breeding and non‐breeding seasons. Resident densities were first examined separately in relation to co‐ordinates and principal component axes, which were extracted from temperature and precipitation variables. The relative impact of each explaining factor (co‐ordinates and principal component axis) on resident densities was checked by using residual examination and partial correlation.

Results  Densities of resident birds were in general negatively correlated with both latitude and longitude and temperature and precipitation factors, but latitude and temperature proved to be the strongest individual factors along which resident densities varied. The higher the latitude or the lower the temperatures, the lower were the densities of most resident birds. Partial correlation analysis suggested that of those two factors, latitude was the dominant one. Both the density of resident and migrant birds decreased towards the north, but the decrease of residents was steeper, and in the north they comprised only a small fraction of breeding bird numbers, whereas further south they commonly comprise half of the breeding bird numbers.

Main conclusions  The best explanatory factor for resident densities was latitude. For this reason, it was difficult to separate the relative effect of each individual factor, because latitude partly describes all the original variables (temperature and precipitation). The results suggested that precipitation was of less importance and that the interplay between latitude and ambient temperatures was not the sole factor behind the strong effect of latitude. We suggest that the coupled effect of harshening climate and decreasing amount of available energy with increasing latitude is limiting the population sizes of resident birds. We also propose that the effect of those factors is most apparent in northern Fennoscandia, where resident densities are suggested to be lower than would be expected on the basis of summer time carrying capacity.
A survey of the management of leg ulcers in primary care settings in Scotland
Authors: Hickie Susan , Ross Sue , Bond Christine
Published: March 2003

• A postal survey was undertaken to describe the management of leg ulcers in a sample of primary care settings in Scotland.

• The management of leg ulcers caused a considerable workload for all three groups of professionals, although general practitioners (GPs) reported seeing fewer patients.

• Initial assessment of leg ulcers was often carried out by nurses in collaboration with GPs; however, 48% of district nurses reported assessing patients alone.

• Choice of treatment depended on clinical criteria and frequency of visits to change dressings.

• Compression bandages were used routinely by 64% of nurses.

• Practice protocols were unusual, with only 12% of nurses reporting their use.

• The management of leg ulcers was not always optimum, and the findings indicate that evidence‐based guidelines should be more widely adopted for the management of leg ulcers in general practice.
Wound management: a literature review
Authors: Lait Margaret E. , Smith Lorraine N.
Published: March 2003

• This paper provides an overview of literature on wound management, including wound assessment and wound care and their relationship to the healing process.

• No attempt is made to describe individual tools or dressing materials as this literature can be found elsewhere.

• Patient and economic benefits of accurate wound assessment and choice of dressing material are highlighted.

• The case for an improved and updated nursing knowledge base regarding all aspects of wound care is made.
Creating a framework for clinical nursing practice to advance in the West Midlands region
Authors: Dunn Linda , Morgan Eryl
Published: March 2003

The West Midlands Regional Health Authority identified a lack of opportuni‐ties for nurses to develop advanced clinical practice through a recognized pro‐gramme at Postgraduate diploma/ Masters degree level. Education for clinical practice must be equally grounded in theory and practice. Advanced clinical practice requires more than just skills acquisition, it has a much wider remit incorporating elements of clinical expertise and higher level decision making, research awareness, teaching and role modelling, informing policy making and leading in the provision of patient care within individual Trusts. This initiative has encouraged universities, trusts and provider units to work together to identify and prepare students and staff for their changes in role, and to review existing boundaries for practice which will enable new approaches to team work and the provision of holistic patient care.
Perceptions related to time in a qualitative study of informal carers of terminally ill cancer patients
Authors: Rose Karen E.
Published: March 2003

• Caring for a terminally ill relative is a complex, time‐consuming experience.

• Demands on carers' time stem from a variety of sources, notably the practical and emotional work they must perform.

• Carers should be helped to plan their time effectively.

• Carers need to come to terms with their perceptions about past, present and future.

• Achieving some sense of equilibrium in the caring role is important.

• Professionals working with families experiencing terminal illness have a duty to assess each family individually in order to provide appropriate help and support.
Psychosocial care in oncology nursing: a study of social knowledge
Authors: Roberts Dave , SNOWBALL JAN
Published: March 2003

• A combination of focus group and individual interviews aimed to examine psychosocial aspects of nursing within a social context and social knowledge held by two teams of ward‐based oncology nurses.

• Five core categories of knowledge emerged: knowledge of how to care, knowledge of the patient, knowledge of the ward, knowledge of nurses coping, and knowledge of involvement.

• Involvement or emotional closeness was seen as a necessary, inevitable and potentially stressful feature of psychosocial care.

• The authors conclude that interpersonal and professional aspects of nursing must be balanced in order to provide effective psychosocial care.
Comforting strategies used during nasogastric tube insertion
Authors: PENROD JANICE , MORSE JANICE M. , WILSON SHARON
Published: March 2003

• Nasogastric tube insertion is a procedure that commonly involves discomfort, yet requires the cooperation of the conscious patient.

• This study employed qualitative ethology to investigate how comforting strategies were used during the insertion of nasogastric tubes in trauma care.

• Practitioners used eight direct and indirect comforting strategies in uniquely patterned styles (technical, affective and blended).

• In addition, a form of `team comforting' was implemented as multiple trauma team members made a concerted effort to complete the procedure.

• Further study is needed to explicate how the nurse's style affects the behavioural state displayed by the patient.
Testing an oral assessment guide during chemotherapy treatment in a Swedish care setting: a pilot study
Authors: ANDERSSON PIA , PERSSON LENA , HALLBERG INGALILL RAHM , RENVERT STEFAN
Published: March 2003

• Oral complications are common in patients with haematological malignancies who undergo chemotherapy treatment. A pilot study including 16 haematological patients was carried out to evaluate the oral status using an Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) and to test the reliability of the OAG.

• The oral assessments were made daily by registered nurses at a Department of Internal Medicine in Sweden. Once a week a dental hygienist made the oral assessments independent of the registered nurses in order to provide data for calculations of inter‐rater reliability.

• All patients had varying degrees of alterations in the oral cavity, especially in the mucous membranes, teeth/dentures and gums. The inter‐rater agreement between the nurses and the dental hygienist was good for saliva and swallow, and moderate for voice and gums.

• Assessments to detect alterations in the oral cavity afford the opportunity for early and individualized interventions and may decrease the risk of oral infections. It is necessary to train the nurses to ensure high levels of reliability in the oral assessments. The OAG seems to be a reliable and clinical useful tool for assessing the oral cavity status and determining changes.
Implementing supernumerary learning in a pre‐registration diploma in nursing programme: an action research study
Authors: Joyce Pauline
Published: March 2003

• The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for implementing supernumerary learning in a preregistration Diploma in Nursing programme in an Irish hospital. Experiences of student nurses (n=31), clinical nursing staff (n=8) and nurse teachers (n=4) were explored, regarding the introduction of supernumerary status in this programme.

• An action research approach, employing phenomenological methods for gathering and analysing the data, was used to carry out the study.

• A framework for implementing supernumerary learning in a Diploma in Nursing programme was developed, based on the study.

• This framework reflects the level of knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals partaking in supernumerary learning, and the role of the supervisor in the clinical area at each level.

• Possible implications of the changing role of the student nurse for nursing practice for education, management and research are suggested.
Do relatives have a right to witness resuscitation?
Authors: Walker Wendy Marina
Published: March 2003

• A relative’s right to witness resuscitation is the subject of considerable discussion and debate.

• This paper explores the presence of relatives in the resuscitation room from a moral and ethical perspective.

• The focus of discussion is essentially upon the principle of respect for autonomy vs. what appears to be the counter‐argument, benevolent paternalism.

• It is concluded that recognition of a relative’s right to witness resuscitation is dependent upon health care professionals’ willingness to promote the principle of respect for autonomy.
Men living with diabetes: minimizing the intrusiveness of the disease
Authors: Koch Tina , Kralik Debbie , Taylor Jenny
Published: March 2003

• In this paper we present the findings from the second of four Participatory Action Research (PAR) groups with men and women who have been diagnosed with type two diabetes. The findings of the men’s group are reported here.

• People who have received a diagnosis of diabetes must immediately absorb a great deal of information about how to control their diabetes, care for themselves and make lifestyle changes. In this study, we have asked men about this transition and about what it is like to live with diabetes.

• We aimed to understand how people with type two diabetes incorporate chronic illness into their lives. Utilizing the processes of PAR, we created a conducive environment for the voices of people with diabetes to be clearly heard in relation to their health.

• Men who live with type two diabetes met with a researcher and two Clinical Nurse Consultants, for two hours, once a week, for four weeks, during November 1998.

• The men expressed that diabetes had made a positive impact on their lifestyle; they viewed diabetes as part of life and not as an illness. Men chose foods with confidence; their concern about potential complications meant they chose to take better care of themselves. They were confident in their knowledge of diabetes, and while they took responsibility for themselves, being supported by their partner was helpful in managing their diabetes. They managed their life with diabetes by minimizing the intrusiveness of the disease.
Work‐Based Learning as a means of developing and assessing nursing competence
Authors: Flanagan J. , Baldwin S. , Clarke D.
Published: March 2003

• Work‐Based Learning is the bringing together of self‐knowledge, expertise at work and formal knowledge. It takes a structured and learner‐managed approach to maximizing opportunities for learning and professional development in the workplace.

• The development and assessment of nursing competence can be facilitated through Work‐Based Learning, although this may require pedagogic and structural changes within nurse education.

• There are a number of conditions which must accompany effective participative learning, and these are discussed in the paper in relation to examples of nursing programmes.

• This method of learning and assessment has potential to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and as such it can only be achieved through commitment and partnership between the individual practitioner, clinical services and universities.
From a psychiatric ward to a home‐like setting: the meaning of caring as narrated by nurses
Authors: Pejlert Anita , Norberg Astrid , Asplund Kenneth
Published: March 2003

• This study presents interviews with nurses 1 and 2 years after they moved to a home‐like setting, compared with results from interviews with nurses before their move. A phenomenological hermeneutic perspective inspired by Ricoeur guided the study. The interviews focused on the meaning of their work, including their view of the client as a person and the care they provide.

• The meaning of caring was interpreted in terms of the following themes: ‘being free and entrusted with the task of caring makes a difference’; ‘sharing the activities of everyday life is a natural way of being together’; ‘providing a warm, open and supportive caring atmosphere’, ‘sharing the client’s everyday world with compassion and love, glimpsing possibilities’; and ‘dealing with limiting circumstances in care, the lack of “homeliness”’.

• Findings suggest a transformation in the view of care that reveals itself in increased closeness in the client–carer relationship and a change in values. The narratives revealed a caring atmosphere, valuing the client as well as the carer.

• The same questions guided all interviews, allowing developments to be followed. The carer and the interviewer thus became increasingly familiar with the situation on each interview occasion and the possibility that this has influenced the study must be taken into consideration. However, the similarity between nurses’ narratives validated their trustworthiness.
A review of the psychosocial predictors of help‐seeking behaviour and impact on quality of life in people with urinary incontinence
Authors: Shaw Chris
Published: March 2003

•  Although urinary incontinence is common and can have a substantial impact on an individual’s quality of life, few people seek help for this symptom.

•  This paper examines a theoretical framework proposed by Shaw (1999) as a possible explanatory model for help‐seeking and the impact of incontinence on a person’s quality of life.

•  Although aetiology and symptom severity are important predictors of behaviour and impact of symptoms, they did not explain all the variation and so other predictors proposed by the model were explored.

•  Appraisals of illness and coping resources were found to be important moderating factors between the experience of symptoms and subsequent behaviour and outcome in urinary incontinence.

•  In the appraisal of symptoms, lack of knowledge of the causes and treatments of urinary incontinence can be a barrier to help‐seeking and successful outcome. Other factors such as personality, group differences, and social support can contribute to the appraisal process.

•  Areas for future research and implications for clinical practice are discussed.
Towards the eradication of head lice: literature review and research agenda
Authors: Koch Tina , Brown Marina , Selim Pam , Isam Cathy
Published: March 2003

• Head lice infestation is a public health issue. In the effort to compile an evidence‐base about the physiology, detection, treatment, effects and management strategies of head lice infestations we reviewed current literature.

• This literature signalled significant evidence gaps and these gaps provide incentives for further research.

• Our conclusions from the literature are that parents of children are responsible for head lice detection and treatment but have varying access to advice about how best to treat this condition.

• Concern is exacerbated by misconceptions surrounding the circumstances of infestation.

• Head lice are a low priority for health professionals in Australia, whereas parents and teachers believe the problem necessitates greater attention.

• It is important to provide a unified evidence‐based approach to good information.

• It is timely for health care professionals to re‐examine and prioritize this public health issue. They should research and work collaboratively towards the eradication of head lice.
Carers' interactions with patients suffering from severe dementia: a difficult balance to facilitate mutual togetherness
Authors: HANSEBO GÖREL , KIHLGREN MONA
Published: March 2003

• A phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach was used to illuminate carers' video‐recorded interactions in connection with supervision for individualized nursing care.

• In order to disclose any changes in the carers' interactions with patients suffering from severe dementia the video recordings were conducted before, during and after the intervention.

• The content of the videos was transcribed as a text, mainly verbal communication. Due to the rich data the videos and text were kept together as a whole in every step of the analysis.

• After an initial naïve understanding, different subthemes emerged in the structural analyses: promoting competence, struggling for co‐operation, deep communication for communion, showing respect for the unique person, skills in balancing power, distance in a negative point of view, and fragmentary nursing situations.

• The overall theme was `Carers' balancing in their interactions, verbal as well as non‐verbal, to promote a sense of mutual togetherness with the patient'.

• The supervision intervention contributed to an improvement in carers' skills in balancing in their interactions. In the caring process carers' and patients' shared experiences and, due to patients' disabilities, interactions depended mainly on carers' qualities and capabilities for this confirming nursing care.
The meaning of fatigue and tiredness as narrated by women with fibromyalgia and healthy women
Authors: SÖDERBERG SIV , LUNDMAN BERIT , NORBERG ASTRID
Published: March 2003

• The aim of this study was to elucidate the meaning of fatigue and tiredness as narrated by women with fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy women. Twenty‐five women with FM were interviewed with a narrative approach about the meaning of the lived experience of fatigue and tiredness. A reference group of 25 healthy women was interviewed about the same topic.

• A phenomenological‐hermeneutic method inspired by the French philosopher Ricoeur was used to interpret the interview text.

• The meaning of fatigue and tiredness was related differently by women with FM and healthy women. The findings are presented in four major themes for women with FM — the body as a burden, an absent presence, an interfering obstacle and being in hope of alleviation — and in one major theme for healthy women: needing recovery.

• Women with FM narrated fatigue as making it obvious that I have a body, instead of I am my body; the lived body becomes urgently present, as an `it'. Healthy women narrated tiredness as a natural phenomenon when they need recovery and time to rest.

• The findings are interpreted in the light of the phenomenological work on the lived body by Leder, Toombs and Merleau‐Ponty.
Societal perceptions of community pharmaceutical services in Malta
Authors: Cordina  , McElnay  , Hughes
Published: March 2003

Objective:
To assess the views of the Maltese general public on services provided by community pharmacies in Malta and their opinions on the proposed extended role for pharmacies

Method:
An interviewer‐administered structured questionnaire was used to interview 912 members of the public (395 males, 517 females)

Results: The majority of respondents (70·8%) visited a pharmacy at least once a month, with females visiting more frequently than males (
P< 0·01). Almost 31% stated that the main reason for visiting a pharmacy was to purchase prescribed medication, while 23·3% said that it was to obtain over‐the‐counter products. Women were more likely than men to be influenced by the pharmacist's advice when selecting an over‐the‐counter product (
P< 0·05). The majority of respondents (62·8%) said that they usually bought their medicines from the same pharmacy and loyalty to a particular pharmacy increased with age. When treating minor ailments, respondents were more likely to consult their doctor or self‐treat rather than seek advice from the pharmacist. The proposed extended role of the community pharmacist found support with the public, e.g. 90·2% felt that the pharmacist should promote health education, with the preferred method suggested being through individual advice; 85·7% were in favour of screening and monitoring services and 85·6% felt that the keeping of patient medication records would be useful. Almost three‐quarters (74·6%) of respondents said that they would be willing to participate in pharmaceutical care programmes. When asked to suggest new activities for community pharmacy, respondents were most in favour of the pharmacist offering more advice on the treatment of minor ailments

Conclusion:
Overall, the results obtained are encouraging and Maltese pharmacists should plan to provide new services to the community in the future
Prescribing of ACE inhibitors for cardiovascular disorders in general practice
Authors: Doyle  , Mottram  , Stubbs
Published: March 2003

Objective:
To investigate the prescribing patterns for angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in the management of patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular disorders as part of a local project on heart failure using information collected from a Primary Care Information Initiative

Method:
Patients from a large city‐centre practice, who were receiving an ACE inhibitor or with a diagnosis of heart failure at the time of the study, were identified from medical records. Details of concomitant medical conditions and drug treatment were also recorded

Results:
There was extensive prescribing of ACE inhibitors alone, in the treatment of patients with hypertension, where no contraindications for the use of thiazide diuretics or beta‐blockers could be identified. ACE inhibitors were being prescribed for post‐myocardial infarction patients, but the time for the initiation of treatment was rarely within that recommended in the literature. For those patients diagnosed with heart failure, 60% were not being treated with ACE inhibitors even where there were no contraindications

Conclusion:
It is clear from the results of this study that overall prescribing patterns for ACE inhibitors are not always in accord with evidence from the literature. These findings provide valuable information for the initiation and development of clinical guidelines for prescribers