bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using global sensitivity analysis of demographic models for ecological impact assessment
Authors: Aiello‐Lammens Matthew E. , Akçakaya H. Resit 
Published: March 2016

AbstractPopulation viability analysis (PVA) is widely used to assess population‐level impacts of environmental changes on species. When combined with sensitivity analysis, PVA yields insights into the effects of parameter and model structure uncertainty. This helps researchers prioritize efforts for further data collection so that model improvements are efficient and helps managers prioritize conservation and management actions. Usually, sensitivity is analyzed by varying one input parameter at a time and observing the influence that variation has over model outcomes. This approach does not account for interactions among parameters. Global sensitivity analysis (GSA) overcomes this limitation by varying several model inputs simultaneously. Then, regression techniques allow measuring the importance of input‐parameter uncertainties. In many conservation applications, the goal of demographic modeling is to assess how different scenarios of impact or management cause changes in a population. This is challenging because the uncertainty of input‐parameter values can be confounded with the effect of impacts and management actions. We developed a GSA method that separates model outcome uncertainty resulting from parameter uncertainty from that resulting from projected ecological impacts or simulated management actions, effectively separating the 2 main questions that sensitivity analysis asks. We applied this method to assess the effects of predicted sea‐level rise on Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus). A relatively small number of replicate models (approximately 100) resulted in consistent measures of variable importance when not trying to separate the effects of ecological impacts from parameter uncertainty. However, many more replicate models (approximately 500) were required to separate these effects. These differences are important to consider when using demographic models to estimate ecological impacts of management actions.
The future of pelvic floor services in the UK
Authors: Hainsworth A. J. , Schizas A. M. P. , Brown S. , Williams A. B. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAimThe study aimed to determine the current state of UK pelvic floor services and to discuss future strategies.MethodA questionnaire developed by the Pelvic Floor Society was sent in 2014 to the 175 colorectal units recognized by the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. Questions included type of centre, frequency of pelvic floor clinics/interdisciplinary joint pelvic floor clinics/multidisciplinary meetings (MDMs) and workload.ResultsSixty‐seven (38%) centres replied including 75% of units with a consultant who was as member of the Pelvic Floor Society. Of the 67 centres 39% were tertiary centres for pelvic floor surgery (tertiary), 48% performed some pelvic floor surgery (regional) and 13% did not perform any (local). Ninety‐six per cent of tertiary referral centres served a population over 500 000. The mean number of whole time equivalent consultants in tertiary centres was 1.03 and 0.77 in regional centres. Eighty per cent of tertiary centres and 56% of regional centres ran pelvic floor clinics. Eighty‐four per cent of tertiary referral and 75% of regional units held or attended an MDM. Anal ultrasonography, anorectal physiology and proctography were performed in 96% of tertiary centres compared with 50% of non‐tertiary units.ConclusionThe provision of pelvic floor services includes local, regional and tertiary centres. The overall response rate was low (38%) and biased to centres with a consultant who was a member of the Pelvic Floor Society. Not all regional or tertiary centres held an MDM or a pelvic floor clinic. Given the nature of pelvic floor pathology an integrated service should be aimed at linking different centres and specialities.
Effectiveness of motor interventions in infants with cerebral palsy: a systematic review
Authors: Morgan Catherine , Darrah Johanna , Gordon Andrew M , Harbourne Regina , Spittle Alicia , Johnson Robert , Fetters Linda 
Published: March 2016

AimTo systematically review the evidence on the effectiveness of motor interventions for infants from birth to 2 years with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy or at high risk of it.MethodRelevant literature was identified by searching journal article databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge, and PEDro). Selection criteria included infants between the ages of birth and 2 years diagnosed with, or at risk of, cerebral palsy who received early motor intervention.ResultsThirty‐four studies met the inclusion criteria, including 10 randomized controlled trials. Studies varied in quality, interventions, and participant inclusion criteria. Neurodevelopmental therapy was the most common intervention investigated either as the experimental or control assignment. The two interventions that had a moderate to large effect on motor outcomes (Cohen's effect size>0.7) had the common themes of child‐initiated movement, environment modification/enrichment, and task‐specific training.InterpretationThe published evidence for early motor intervention is limited by the lack of high‐quality trials. There is some promising evidence that early intervention incorporating child‐initiated movement (based on motor‐learning principles and task specificity), parental education, and environment modification have a positive effect on motor development. Further research is crucial.
Predicting the responses of forest distribution and aboveground biomass to climate change underRCPscenarios in southern China
Authors: Dai Erfu , Wu Zhuo , Ge Quansheng , Xi Weimin , Wang Xiaofan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractIn the past three decades, our global climate has been experiencing unprecedented warming. This warming has and will continue to significantly influence the structure and function of forest ecosystems. While studies have been conducted to explore the possible responses of forest landscapes to future climate change, the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) scenarios under the framework of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) have not been widely used in quantitative modeling research of forest landscapes. We usedLANDIS‐II, a forest dynamic landscape model, coupled with a forest ecosystem process model (PnET‐II), to simulate spatial interactions and ecological succession processes underRCPscenarios,RCP2.6,RCP4.5 andRCP8.5, respectively. We also modeled a control scenario of extrapolating current climate conditions to examine changes in distribution and aboveground biomass (AGB) among five different forest types for the period of 2010–2100 in Taihe County in southern China, where subtropical coniferous plantations dominate. The results of the simulation show that climate change will significantly influence forest distribution andAGB. (i) Evergreen broad‐leaved forests will expand into Chinese fir and Chinese weeping cypress forests. The area percentages of evergreen broad‐leaved forests underRCP2.6,RCP4.5,RCP8.5 and the control scenarios account for 18.25%, 18.71%, 18.85% and 17.46% of total forest area, respectively. (ii) The totalAGBunderRCP4.5 will reach its highest level by the year 2100. Compared with the control scenarios, the totalAGBunderRCP2.6,RCP4.5 andRCP8.5 increases by 24.1%, 64.2% and 29.8%, respectively. (iii) The forest totalAGBincreases rapidly at first and then decreases slowly on the temporal dimension. (iv) Even though the fluctuation patterns of totalAGBwill remain consistent under various future climatic scenarios, there will be certain responsive differences among various forest types.
Factors that affect implementation of a nurse staffing directive: results from a qualitative multi‐case evaluation
Authors: Robinson Claire H. , Annis Ann M. , Forman Jane , Krein Sarah L. , Yankey Nicholas , Duffy Sonia A. , Taylor Beth , Sales Anne E. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAim/sTo assess implementation of the Veterans Health Administration staffing methodology directive.BackgroundIn 2010 the Veterans Health Administration promulgated a staffing methodology directive for inpatient nursing units to address staffing and budget forecasting.DesignA qualitative multi‐case evaluation approach assessed staffing methodology implementation.MethodsSemi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted from March – June 2014 with Nurse Executives and their teams at 21 facilities. Interviews focused on the budgeting process, implementation experiences, use of data, leadership support, and training. An implementation score was created for each facility using a 4‐point rating scale. The scores were used to select three facilities (low, medium and high implementation) for more detailed case studies.Results/findingsAfter analysing interview summaries, the evaluation team developed a four domain scoring structure: (1) integration of staffing methodology into budget development; (2) implementation of the Directive elements; (3) engagement of leadership and staff; and (4) use of data to support the staffing methodology process. The high implementation facility had leadership understanding and endorsement of staffing methodology, confidence in and ability to work with data, and integration of staffing methodology results into the budgeting process. The low implementation facility reported poor leadership engagement and little understanding of data sources and interpretation.ConclusionImplementation varies widely across facilities. Implementing staffing methodology in facilities with complex and changing staffing needs requires substantial commitment at all organizational levels especially for facilities that have traditionally relied on historical levels to budget for staffing.
Factors influencing patient satisfaction: assessment in outpatients in dermatology department
Authors: De Salins C.A. , Brenaut E. , Misery L. , Roguedas‐Contios A.M. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundImproving patient satisfaction may lead to better adherence with treatment and consequently to better clinical outcomes for skin diseases.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine factors influencing patient satisfaction in consultations with dermatologists.MethodsAll patients presenting to the secretariat for a medical consultation received a one‐page anonymous questionnaire to fill at the end of the consultation.ResultsTwo hundred forty‐seven questionnaires were completed. Mean age of the population was 43.6 years with 58.4% of women and 41.6% of men in the sample. Patients were generally satisfied with their consultation (77.1%). Patient age was signifcantly related to overall satisfaction (P < 0.01), with greater satisfaction among patients aged 50 years and older. The factors that infuence overall satisfaction the most were quality of life, physician's concerning, interest in the medical problem and attention given to symptoms. Performance of a full‐body skin examination, use of dermatoscopy, performance of a skin biopsy and comfort of the waiting room were additional factors contributing to satisfaction among patients 50 years and older.ConclusionsInterpersonal skills of dermatologists and attention to the quality of life are important factors in outpatient satisfaction.
Interaction between the moss Physcomitrella patens and Phytophthora: a novel pathosystem for live‐cell imaging of subcellular defence
Authors: OVERDIJK ELYSA J. R. , DE KEIJZER JEROEN , DE GROOT DEBORAH , SCHOINA CHARIKLEIA , BOUWMEESTER KLAAS , KETELAAR TIJS , GOVERS FRANCINE 
Published: March 2016

SummaryLive‐cell imaging of plant–pathogen interactions is often hampered by the tissue complexity and multicell layered nature of the host. Here, we established a novel pathosystem with the moss Physcomitrella patens as host for Phytophthora. The tip‐growing protonema cells of this moss are ideal for visualizing interactions with the pathogen over time using high‐resolution microscopy. We tested four Phytophthora species for their ability to infect P. patens and showed that P. sojae and P. palmivora were only rarely capable to infect P. patens. In contrast, P. infestans and P. capsici frequently and successfully penetrated moss protonemal cells, showed intracellular hyphal growth and formed sporangia. Next to these successful invasions, many penetration attempts failed. Here the pathogen was blocked by a barrier of cell wall material deposited in papilla‐like structures, a defence response that is common in higher plants. Another common response is the upregulation of defence‐related genes upon infection and also in moss we observed this upregulation in tissues infected with Phytophthora. For more advanced analyses of the novel pathosystem we developed a special set‐up that allowed live‐cell imaging of subcellular defence processes by high‐resolution microscopy. With this set‐up, we revealed that Phytophthora infection of moss induces repositioning of the nucleus, accumulation of cytoplasm and rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, but not of microtubules.
The Provision of Language‐Specific Public Services
Authors: ARMSTRONG ALEX 
Published: March 2016

AbstractI consider the optimal provision of public services when individuals' effective consumption of the services depends on their proficiency in the language they are provided in. A social planner chooses levels of provision in both a dominant and minority language which are financed by a linear tax on labor income. Minority language speakers make a costly investment to increase their proficiency in the dominant language. In doing so they increase their wage and, possibly, gain access to higher levels of public services provided in the dominant language. The planner faces a trade‐off between compensating minority language speakers for their lower wages and encouraging their integration by rewarding higher levels of dominant language proficiency. Under majority voting, it is possible that the level of public services is increasing in the relative size of the minority language community. This result contrasts with what is typically assumed in the literature on fractionalization and public good provision—that cultural heterogeneity decreases the level of public goods.
Your tools disappear when you stop eating: phenotypic variation in gizzard mass of eiders
Authors: Laursen K. , Møller A. P. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAnimals show phenotypic flexibility in their digestive system in response to seasonal changes in diet, activity, metabolic rate and reproduction. Many birds are capital breeders that alternate between periods of extensive feeding used for storage and periods of fasting during reproduction. Here, we analyzed the mass of the gizzard (gizzard mass without content) in 885 male and 348 female adult common eiders Somateria mollissima shot by Danish hunters during winter and spring in relation to alternating periods of foraging and fasting during reproduction. Gizzard mass of adult female eiders varied annually from 31 g (N = 25) during reproduction to 119 g during pre‐breeding (N = 314), or almost a four‐fold difference in mass. During winter, both male and female eiders with large gizzard mass had eaten a larger number of preferred blue mussels Mytilus edulis that constitute the main food. Adult female eiders with large gizzard mass had eaten larger but not more mussels. Individual adult females with large gizzard mass that had larger numbers of mussels in their gizzards were in superior body condition. These findings of phenotypic flexibility in gizzard mass show that individuals with larger gizzards consuming larger food items had an advantage in terms of superior body condition, potentially allowing for elevated reproductive success.
Male genital dermatophytosis – clinical features and the effects of the misuse of topical steroids and steroid combinations – an alarming problem in India
Authors: Verma Shyam B. , Vasani Resham 
Published: March 2016

SummaryGenital dermatophytosis has been considered rare by most Western authorities. However, to the contrary, Indian reports have shown a higher prevalence of genital dermatophytosis due to warm and humid climate, overcrowding and lack of hygiene. A review is presented for 24 cases of male genital dermatophytosis occurring in patients suffering from tinea cruris in India who have been randomly applying various broad‐spectrum steroid antifungal and antibacterial creams containing one or more antifungal and antibiotic in addition to potent corticosteroids, mainly clobetasol propionate. This is such a common phenomenon that Indian dermatologists are witnessing an epidemic of sorts of steroid‐modified dermatophytosis and we hereby share various clinical presentations of dermatophytosis of penis and/or scrotum in patients with tinea cruris who have been applying the above‐mentioned creams. The review also discusses the bleak scenario that prevails in India regarding the drug regulatory affairs that allow such dangerous and irrational combinations that are sold over the counter because of misinterpretation of the law and lax implementation of existing laws.
The rediscovery of ‘the national’ in the 1990s – contexts, new cultural forms and practices in reunified Germany
Authors: Götz Irene 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThis article examines how and in which societal and political contexts nationhood is expressed and symbolised in reunified Germany. This ‘rediscovery’ of nationhood since the 1990s mixes new and old motifs of the cultural repertoire of ‘the national’ for different purposes. Three main contexts triggered a rediscovery of ‘the national’ after 1989: reunification, immigration and the retrenchment of the social state. I argue, by analysing ethnographic material and political discourses, that these contexts, on the one hand, rearticulate old forms of ethnic and cultural nationalism and, on the other hand, create new images and symbols of an open civic society and immigration country. There are ‘playful’ forms, such as campaigns of nation branding, that symbolically include the ‘productive’ and ‘useful’ immigrant into the national project. Moreover, such campaigns serve to legitimatise the downsizing of the national state that – according to a neoliberal attitude – relies on a new community spirit of entrepreneurial, ‘activated’ citizens who ‘help themselves’. Thus, focusing on these pluralised renationalisation processes makes evident how polyvalent ‘the national’ still is. It can be employed by those who attempt to ‘reunite’ the East and West Germans, by businesses to sell their goods and ideas and by almost any political orientation, be it right‐wing or left‐wing.
Factors shaping e‐feedback utilization following electronic Objective Structured Clinical Examinations
Authors: Ashby Samantha E. , Snodgrass Suzanne H. , Rivett Darren A. , Russell Trevor 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe development of student‐practitioners' practical clinical skills is essential in health professional education. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are central to the assessment of students performing clinical procedures on simulated patients (actors). While feedback is considered core to learning providing timely, individualised student OSCE feedback is difficult. This study explored the perceptions of students about the multiple factors which shape the utility of e‐feedback following an electronic Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, which utilized iPad and specialised software. The e‐feedback was trialled in four courses within occupational therapy and physiotherapy pre‐professional programs with a cohort of 204 students. Evaluation of student perceptions about feedback was collected using two surveys and eight focus groups. This data showed three factors shaped perceptions of the utility of e‐ Objective Structured Clinical Examinations feedback: 1) timely accessibility within one day of the assessment, 2) feedback demonstrating examiners' academic literacy and 3) feedback orientated to ways of improving future performance of clinical skills. The study found training in the provision of feedback using IPads and software is needed for examiners to ensure e‐feedback meets students' needs for specific, future‐oriented e‐feedback and institutional requirements for justification of grades.
Tracking gastrointestinal transit of solids in aged rats as pharmacological models of chronic dysmotility
Authors: Dalziel J. E. , Young W. , Bercik P. , Spencer N. J. , Ryan L. J. , Dunstan K. E. , Lloyd‐West C. M. , Gopal P. K. , Haggarty N. W. , Roy N. C. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundDysmotility in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract often leads to impaired transit of luminal contents leading to symptoms of diarrhea or constipation. The aim of this research was to develop a technique using high resolution X‐ray imaging to study pharmacologically induced aged rat models of chronic GI dysmotility that mimic accelerated transit (diarrhea) or constipation. The 5‐hydroxytryptamine type 4 (5‐HT4) receptor agonist prucalopride was used to accelerate transit, and the opioid agonist loperamide was used to delay transit.MethodsMale rats (18 months) were given 0, 1, 2, or 4 mg/kg/day prucalopride or loperamide (in dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO) for 7 days by continuous 7‐day dosing. To determine the GI region‐specific effect, transit of six metallic beads was tracked over 12 h using high resolution X‐ray imaging. An established rating scale was used to classify GI bead location in vivo and the distance beads had propagated from the caecum was confirmed postmortem.Key ResultsLoperamide (1 mg/kg) slowed stomach emptying and GI transit at 9 and 12 h. Prucalopride (4 mg/kg) did not significantly alter GI transit scores, but at a dose of 4 mg/kg beads had moved significantly more distal than the caecum in 12 h compared to controls.Conclusions & InferencesWe report a novel high‐resolution, non‐invasive, X‐ray imaging technique that provides new insights into GI transit rates in live rats. The results demonstrate that loperamide slowed overall transit in aged rats, while prucalopride increased stomach emptying and accelerates colonic transit.
Examining Views and Attitudes About Forgiveness Among Teachers in the Arab World: A Comparison Between Five Communities
Authors: Nasser Ilham , Abu‐Nimer Mohammed 
Published: March 2016

This study contributes to the literature on forgiveness attitudes, both on the conceptual and application levels in Arab society contexts. It highlights the importance of examining teachers’ views on forgiveness and suggests various directions for conducting further research and developing interventions to promote peaceful resolution of conflicts and to reduce violence in schools. Social and cultural considerations about forgiveness in hypothetical situations were examined among 490 teachers in elementary and secondary schools in various communities in the Middle East. Data analysis suggested significant differences across communities and religions. Participating teachers from Jordan and the West Bank showed less willingness to forgive, especially in situations related to family and close relationships, while teachers from Lebanon, followed by those from Egypt, showed higher tendencies to forgive. There were no significant differences in demographics such as gender, age, education, or marital status. These results will add to the understanding of social, cultural, and religious factors and their impact on teachers’ attitudes in Arab schools and other Muslim countries.