bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Russian Arctic warming and ‘greening’ are closely tracked by tundra shrub willows
Authors: FORBES BRUCE C. , FAURIA MARC MACIAS , ZETTERBERG PENTTI 
Published: August 2009

AbstractGrowth in arctic vegetation is generally expected to increase under a warming climate, particularly among deciduous shrubs. We analyzed annual ring growth for an abundant and nearly circumpolar erect willow (Salix lanata L.) from the coastal zone of the northwest Russian Arctic (Nenets Autonomous Okrug). The resulting chronology is strongly related to summer temperature for the period 1942–2005. Remarkably high correlations occur at long distances (>1600 km) across the tundra and taiga zones of West Siberia and Eastern Europe. We also found a clear relationship with photosynthetic activity for upland vegetation at a regional scale for the period 1981–2005, confirming a parallel ‘greening’ trend reported for similarly warming North American portions of the tundra biome. The standardized growth curve suggests a significant increase in shrub willow growth over the last six decades. These findings are in line with field and remote sensing studies that have assigned a strong shrub component to the reported greening signal since the early 1980s. Furthermore, the growth trend agrees with qualitative observations by nomadic Nenets reindeer herders of recent increases in willow size in the region. The quality of the chronology as a climate proxy is exceptional. Given its wide geographic distribution and the ready preservation of wood in permafrost, S. lanata L. has great potential for extended temperature reconstructions in remote areas across the Arctic.
Climatic characteristics of heat waves and their simulation in plant experiments
Authors: DE BOECK HANS J. , DREESEN FREJA E. , JANSSENS IVAN A. , NIJS IVAN 
Published: August 2009

AbstractExtreme events such as heat waves are emerging as a key facet of climate change, but to date, experiments on the impacts on plants are scarce. Experimental simulation of heat waves requires knowledge of regional heat wave characteristics, as plant responses depend heavily on meteorological conditions. We analysed nine Western European meteorological datasets, and found that heat waves occurring during the growing season in this region encompass more sunshine (+ 69%), lower precipitation (−78%) and a larger vapour pressure deficit (VPD) (+ 111%) compared with normal conditions. Possible consequences for plant responses are discussed, with emphasis on the likely seasonal variation of heat wave impacts. We explain why infrared heating (which typically increases VPD) is an appropriate technique for heat wave simulation. Finally, we advocate experiments to take into account the smaller nighttime compared with daytime temperature increases observed during heat waves, and the precipitation deficits before and during heat waves.
Interaction between water‐soluble carbohydrate reserves and defoliation severity on the regrowth of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)‐dominant swards
Authors: Lee J. M. , Donaghy D. J. , Sathish P. , Roche J. R. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractA field‐study was undertaken in Hamilton, New Zealand to determine if there was an interaction between water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) reserve content and defoliation severity on the regrowth of perennial ryegrass‐dominant swards during winter. Perennial ryegrass plants with either low or high WSC content were obtained by varying the defoliation frequency. At the third defoliation at the one‐leaf stage and at the first defoliation at the three‐leaf stage (harvest H1), swards were mown with a rotary lawnmower to residual stubble heights of 20, 40 or 60 mm. All swards were then allowed to regrow to the three‐leaf stage before again defoliating to their treatment residual stubble heights (H2). Frequently defoliated plants contained proportionately between 0·37 and 0·48 less WSC in the stubble after defoliation, depending on the severity of defoliation. There was no interaction between WSC content and defoliation severity for herbage regrowth between harvests H1 and H2. Herbage regrowth was lower from swards containing low WSC plants compared with high WSC plants (2279 vs. 2007 kg DM ha−1). Furthermore, swards defoliated to 20 or 40 mm had greater herbage regrowth compared with those defoliated to 60 mm (2266, 2249 and 1914 kg DM ha−1 for swards defoliated to residual stubble heights of 20, 40 and 60 mm, respectively). Regrowth of perennial ryegrass was positively correlated with post‐defoliation stubble WSC content within defoliation severity treatment, implying that WSC contributed to the defoliation frequency‐derived difference in herbage yield. However, the effect of defoliation severity on herbage regrowth was not associated with post‐defoliation stubble WSC content.
A method of estimating timeliness costs in forage harvesting illustrated using harvesting systems in Sweden
Authors: Gunnarsson C. , Spörndly R. , Rosenqvist H. , De Toro A. , Hansson P‐A. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractA method for estimating timeliness costs, depending on dry‐matter yield and nutritive value of forage is presented, and used to estimate timeliness costs, to examine different harvesting systems and to present conclusions on machinery selection when harvesting silage for dairy cows in Sweden. Timeliness costs (in € ha−1d−1) of forage for silage were significantly higher for the first cut compared with the second or third cuts in the season. It is, therefore, important to avoid delaying the first cut. The timeliness costs also varied greatly between years. Harvesting costs decreased with increasing forage area up to a certain threshold area beyond which decreasing machinery costs were outweighed by increasing timeliness costs due to a longer duration of harvest. At increasing transport distances, the difference in cost between different harvesting systems and different sizes of machinery increased. Harvesting of forage by contractors decreased harvesting costs, particularly for small forage areas, since increased annual use of the machinery lowered the machinery costs and enabled larger machines with higher capacity to be used. To avoid high timeliness costs it is important to avoid delays in harvesting.
A plate meter inadequately estimated herbage mass in a semi‐arid grassland
Authors: Fehmi J. S. , Stevens J. M. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractA resting plate meter was tested in the laboratory and on a field site to determine its effectiveness for estimating peak herbage mass on semi‐arid grasslands. In laboratory tests, data from the plate meter closely predicted the herbage mass of four perennial bunch grasses (thirteen of sixteen tests with r 2 ≥ 0·90) but the closeness of the prediction varied with the pressure of the plate. Field tests took place on a southern Arizona, USA semi‐arid grassland in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Twenty teams of two or three people sampled the site; five teams in each year measured eight to thirteen plate heights and clipped the vegetation beneath. Consistent with a need for yearly calibration, a significantly different (P < 0·05) linear relationship was detected between 3 of the 4 years which was associated with differences in average herbage mass of dry matter (DM) (1525 kg ha−1 for 2005, 2093 kg ha−1 for 2006, 1338 kg ha−1 for 2007 and 1370 kg ha−1 for 2008). Plate height poorly predicted herbage mass within years (r 2 = 0·21, 0·51, 0·49 and 0·41 respectively) with plate heights explaining half or less of the variability in field herbage mass and having a mean prediction error of 466 kg DM ha−1. The plate meter technique had limited potential for estimating peak herbage mass in semi‐arid grasslands.
Preferences of lambs offered Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) herbage as choices
Authors: Catanese F. , Distel R. A. , Arzadún M. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractPartial preference for feeds in ruminants is a well‐documented phenomenon although their explanation can be elusive. The hypothesis was tested that sheep offered herbage of two annual grass species differing in chemical composition free‐choice would select a diet that would maximize the nutritive value of the diet compared with sheep offered each herbage separately through a greater nutrient balance and synchronization of nutrient release for efficient ruminal microbial function. Fifteen male lambs were placed into metabolic cages, and randomly assigned to three treatments (n = 5): Italian ryegrass fresh herbage (treatment R), barley fresh herbage (treatment B) or free‐choice Italian ryegrass and barley fresh herbage (treatment RB). Both herbages had similar crude protein concentrations but Italian ryegrass herbage had higher concentration of water‐soluble carbohydrates and lower concentration of fibre than barley herbage. Lambs were exposed to the treatments for 15 d. Lambs on treatment RB showed a partial preference of 0·82 (s.e. 0·031) for Italian ryegrass. Lambs on treatment RB had higher intakes of digestible dry matter and higher values for nitrogen retention than lambs on treatment B although similar to that of lambs on treatment R. The results for the dietary choices were not always consistent with maximizing the nutritive value of the diet. Other explanations, such as lambs needed to sample and track the nutritive value of dietary options or there was the development of transient food aversions, were also possible.
A communication intervention for nursing staff in chronic care
Authors: Boscart Veronique M. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle.  A communication intervention for nursing staff in chronic care. Aim.  The paper is a report of a study conducted to evaluate the effect of a brief, focused educational intervention on the quality of verbal interactions between nursing staff and patients in a chronic care facility.Background.  Positive nurse–patient communication in chronic care is crucial to the quality of life and well‐being of patients. Despite this, patients are dissatisfied with these interactions and nursing staff indicate the need for additional training.Method.  A repeated‐measures design was used to collect data between April 2003 and February 2004, by audiotaping verbal interactions between nursing staff and patients during morning care. Baseline data were analysed and an educational intervention was developed based on the results of the pretest. Five months after the educational intervention, interactions between the same nursing staff and patients were audiotaped. Twenty‐seven randomly chosen patients and selected nursing staff participated in the study. Data were analysed using a qualitative comparative method, and a quantification technique was developed to compare the quality of the interactions before and after the intervention.Findings.  Preintervention interactions were task‐oriented, superficial and dominated by nursing staff. Results statistically significantly improved after the intervention was implemented. Nursing staff were less authoritative, used more solution‐focused communication and interactions had a statistically significantly higher positive ratio.Conclusion.  Brief interventions can change nursing staff’s communication practice and they realized the importance of effective communication as a fundamental component to deliver patient‐focused care.
Instruments to tailor care of people with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Sigurdardottir Arun K. , Benediktsson Rafn , Jonsdottir Helga 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle.  Instruments to tailor care of people with type 2 diabetes. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention for people with type 2 diabetes based on self‐completed instruments to identify particular areas of self‐care needs.Background.  Diabetes is a demanding disease which requires self‐care. Instruments that identify self‐care needs or factors affecting self‐care can be helpful to detect level of self‐care, distress or knowledge among individuals with diabetes.Methods.  Participants were randomized into intervention (n = 28) or control groups (n = 25). Both groups answered five validated instruments three times, at baseline and after 3 and 6 months, and biological measurements were conducted simultaneously. The intervention was based on an empowerment approach. The study started in November 2005 and lasted until March 2007.Findings.  There was no statistically significant difference between groups in level of glycated haemoglobin postintervention as it reduced statistically significantly in both groups between baseline and 3 months but increased again after 6 months. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in body mass index reduction; the intervention group achieved a statistically significant body mass index reduction but this was unchanged in the control group. No statistically significant differences between groups were found in scores for empowerment, well‐being and distress. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in knowledge postintervention.Conclusion.  Use of instruments to identify self‐care needs can enable patient‐tailored care as it allows direct focusing on issues that are challenging and of relevance for each individual. It seems to be feasible to use the telephone to conduct an empowering educational intervention after one meeting.
Nurses’ moral strength: a hermeneutic inquiry in nursing practice
Authors: Lindh Inga‐Britt , Severinsson Elisabeth , Berg Agneta 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle. Nurses’ moral strength: a hermeneutic inquiry in nursing practice.Aim. This paper is a report of a study to interpret nurses’ experiences of moral strength in practice.Background. Moral strength is said to be beneficial in providing nursing care for patients, thereby contributing to high qualitative care. However, few studies focus on the meaning of nurses’ moral strength.Methods. This study included eight Registered Nurses working in different aspects of health care in southern Sweden. Individual interviews were conducted in 2006 and 2007. We recorded, transcribed verbatim, and interpreted the interviews by a method grounded in hermeneutics.Findings. Three themes were interpreted on three different levels: the action level as ‘having courage to act on one’s convictions’, the relational level as ‘being attentive and recognizing vulnerability’, and the existential level as ‘facing the unpredictable’.Overall, moral strength was understood as a driving force to be someone special in the care of patients, i.e. someone who makes a difference.Conclusion. The value of nurses’ moral strength in patient care should be recognized. Attention must be given to aspects outside the individual, e.g. professional and institutional processes that influence the work environment. Clinical team supervision can help make such processes visible and supportive.
Search and destroy policy for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus: cost‐benefit analysis
Authors: Simoens Steven , Ophals Erik , Schuermans Annette 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle.  Search and destroy policy for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus: cost‐benefit analysis. Aim.  This paper is a report of a cost‐benefit analysis of a ‘search and destroy’ policy as compared with the absence of such a policy for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a hospital perspective, including the impact of nurses on the costs and benefits of this policy.Background.  The ‘search and destroy’ policy involved screening, isolation, decontamination and antimicrobial treatment of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus.Methods.  A prospective analysis was carried out in one intensive care unit and one gerontology unit of a university hospital in 2007. A benefit‐cost ratio was calculated by dividing the benefits of the ‘search and destroy’ policy by its costs related to screening and quarantine. Benefits consisted of hospital savings through avoidance of isolation, decontamination, antimicrobial therapy and extended hospital stay of affected patients. Resource utilization data were gathered from a time‐and‐motion study of nurses, patient medical records, hospital databases and the literature. Unit costs pertained to 2005.Results.  The benefit‐cost ratio of the ‘search and destroy’ policy as compared with the absence of such a policy was 1·17 in the intensive care unit and 1·16 in the gerontology unit. Nurses accounted for 23% of costs and 16% of benefits of the policy as compared with the absence of such a policy in the intensive care unit, and 19% of costs and 28% of benefits in the gerontology unit.Conclusion.  Hospital managers should consider implementing a ‘search and destroy’ policy for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus and to support the contribution of nurses and other healthcare workers to such a policy.
Understanding nursing on an acute stroke unit: perceptions of space, time and interprofessional practice
Authors: Seneviratne Cydnee C. , Mather Charles M. , Then Karen L. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle.  Understanding nursing on an acute stroke unit: perceptions of space, time and interprofessional practice. Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted to uncover nurses’ perceptions of the contexts of caring for acute stroke survivors.Background. Nurses coordinate and organize care and continue the rehabilitative role of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers during evenings and at weekends. Healthcare professionals view the nursing role as essential, but are uncertain about its nature.Method. Ethnographic fieldwork was carried out in 2006 on a stroke unit in Canada. Interviews with nine healthcare professionals, including nurses, complemented observations of 20 healthcare professionals during patient care, team meetings and daily interactions. Analysis methods included ethnographic coding of field notes and interview transcripts.Findings. Three local domains frame how nurses understand challenges in organizing stroke care: 1) space, 2) time and 3) interprofessional practice. Structural factors force nurses to work in exceptionally close quarters. Time constraints compel them to find novel ways of providing care. Moreover, sharing of information with other members of the team enhances relationships and improves ‘interprofessional collaboration’. The nurses believed that an interprofessional atmosphere is fundamental for collaborative stroke practice, despite working in a multiprofessional environment.Conclusion. Understanding how care providers conceive of and respond to space, time and interprofessionalism has the potential to improve acute stroke care. Future research focusing on nurses and other professionals as members of interprofessional teams could help inform stroke care to enhance poststroke outcomes.
Creating case scenarios or vignettes using factorial study design methods
Authors: Brauer Paula M. , Hanning Rhona M. , Arocha Jose F. , Royall Dawna , Goy Richard , Grant Andrew , Dietrich Linda , Martino Roselle , Horrocks Julie 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle.  Creating case scenarios or vignettes using factorial study design methods. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to develop clinical case vignettes using an adaptation of an incomplete factorial study design methodology.Background.  In health care, vignettes or cases scenarios are core to problem‐based learning, common in practice guideline development processes, and increasingly being used in patient or care‐giver studies of chronic or life‐threatening illnesses. A large number of behavioural, psycho‐social and clinical factors can be relevant in such decision problems. Unbiased methods for choosing what factors to include are needed, when it is not possible to include all relevant combinations of factors in the vignettes.Method.  The factors to be considered, number of levels or categories for each factor, and desired number of scenarios were decided in advance. An algorithm was used first to create the full factorial data set, and then a random subset of combinations was generated, according to predefined criteria, based on maximizing determinants. The subset of combinations was incorporated into written vignettes. The study was conducted in 2004–2005.Findings.  Application of the method yielded diverse and balanced scenarios that covered the full range of factors to be considered for a project to elicit health providers’ processes in diet counselling for dyslipidemia.Conclusion.  The approach is flexible, decreases possible researcher bias in the creation of vignettes, and can improve statistical power in survey research. This novel application of study design methodology merits consideration when vignettes are being developed to elicit opinions or decisions in studies of complex health issues.
Emotional stability of nurses: impact on patient safety
Authors: Teng Ching‐I , Chang Shin‐Shin , Hsu Kuang‐Hung 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTitle.  Emotional stability of nurses: impact on patient safety. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine the influence of the emotional stability of nurses on patient safety.Background.  Individuals with greater emotional stability are less likely to exhibit strong emotional reactions to stressful situations, and tend to be more proactive and successful in problem‐solving. Effectively managing patient safety is a priority concern in countries where nurses face high pressure. A heavy work load leads to burnout (a syndrome associated with negative emotions), reduced job satisfaction and increased turnover. While emotional stability influences job performance in various contexts, its influence on patient safety has not been addressed.Method.  A cross‐sectional design was adopted. The sample comprised 263 nurses working in two Taiwanese medical centres. The data were collected in 2007–2008, with a response rate of 92·6%. All participants were nursing college graduates aged below 50 years. Participants provided information on both their emotional stability and patient safety. Staffing adequacy, hospital, and years of nursing experience served as control variables.Findings.  Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that emotional stability predicted patient safety (β = 0·18, P < 0·01). The addition of emotional stability as a predictor of patient safety increased the associated explained variance (ΔR2 = 0·03, P < 0·01).Conclusion.  It is important for to managers create an organisational climate that promotes the emotional stability of nurses. This could help to improve global patient safety by reducing the frequency of adverse events.