bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alternative explanations for rising dissolved organic carbon export from organic soils
Authors: EVANS CHRISTOPHER D. , CHAPMAN PIPPA J. , CLARK JOANNA M. , MONTEITH DON T. , CRESSER MALCOLM S. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractSince 1988, there has been, on average, a 91% increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of UK lakes and streams in the Acid Waters Monitoring Network (AWMN). Similar DOC increases have been observed in surface waters across much of Europe and North America. Much of the debate about the causes of rising DOC has, as in other studies relating to the carbon cycle, focused on factors related to climate change. Data from our peat‐core experiments support an influence of climate on DOC, notably an increase in production with temperature under aerobic, and to a lesser extent anaerobic, conditions. However, we argue that climatic factors may not be the dominant drivers of DOC change. DOC solubility is suppressed by high soil water acidity and ionic strength, both of which have decreased as a result of declining sulphur deposition since the 1980s, augmented during the 1990s in the United Kingdom by a cyclical decline in sea‐salt deposition. Our observational and experimental data demonstrate a clear, inverse and quantitatively important link between DOC and sulphate concentrations in soil solution. Statistical analysis of 11 AWMN lakes suggests that rising temperature, declining sulphur deposition and changing sea‐salt loading can account for the majority of the observed DOC trend. This combination of evidence points to the changing chemical composition of atmospheric deposition, particularly the substantial reduction in anthropogenic sulphur emissions during the last 20 years, as a key cause of rising DOC. The implications of rising DOC export for the carbon cycle will be very different if linked primarily to decreasing acid deposition, rather than to changes in climate, suggesting that these systems may be recovering rather than destabilising.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Eyes wide shut: can hypometabolism really explain the primate colonization of Madagascar?
Authors: Masters J. C. , Lovegrove B. G. , De Wit M. J. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractAim  We investigate the hypothesis that it was the capacity for torpor or hibernation that enabled the lemuriforms (and possibly other mammal groups, e.g. tenrecs and rodents) to invade Madagascar by means of over‐water dispersal.Location  Madagascar, East Africa and the Mozambique Channel.Methods  We consider the body weights and life‐style features of living primate taxa that employ heterothermy. Using this information as a standard for comparison, we summarize the available information on the Palaeogene strepsirrhine radiation (i.e. members of the infraorder Adapiformes, the extinct sister‐taxon to the lemuriforms, as well as putative stem lemuriforms), particularly with respect to possible trends in body weight among early, middle and late Eocene adapiforms. We discuss Eocene climatic conditions in the northern hemisphere and Africa, and assess the likelihood of adaptations for heterothermy in adapiforms. Finally, we estimate the body weights of the common ancestors to the living Lemuriformes and Lemuroidea using the method of phylogenetically independent contrasts.Results  The mean body weights estimated for the early, middle and late Eocene strepsirrhine faunas remain at approximately 2 kg, outside of the range of living primates using heterothermy. The adapiforms’ appearance coincided with the ‘initial Eocene thermal maximum’, an unusually hot period of global warming, and their demise corresponded with a major cooling event coincident with the appearance of ice sheets on Antarctica. They show no evidence of having evolved adaptations that allowed them to withstand climatic deterioration. The body weights of the ancestral lemuriform and ancestral lemuroid are of a similar order to the mean body weight estimated for the adapiforms, i.e. approximately 1.8 and 2.1 kg, respectively.Main conclusions  The available evidence argues against the widespread use of heterothermy by adapiforms. The adapiform–lemuriform divergence may have been the result of the lemuriforms adapting to the drier and more seasonal environments that characterized the African Eocene, and this suite of adaptations may have included the use of heterothermy, but there is as yet no substantial evidence to confirm the presence of either group on the continent prior to c. 40 Ma. The estimated body weights of the common lemuriform and lemuroid ancestors are well outside the size range of living mammals that employ heterothermy. We conclude that the hypothesis that it was the ability to use heterothermy that enabled the strepsirrhines, and not the haplorhines, to invade Madagascar, is unlikely. Alternative explanations for this anomaly should be sought.
Biotic homogenization: a new research agenda for conservation biogeography
Authors: Olden Julian D. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractAim  Biotic homogenization describes the process by which species invasions and extinctions increase the genetic, taxonomic or functional similarity of two or more biotas over a specified time interval. The study of biotic homogenization is a young and rapidly emerging research area in the budding field of conservation biogeography, and this paper aims to synthesize our current knowledge of this process and advocate a more systematic approach to its investigation.Methods  Based on a comprehensive examination of the primary literature this paper reviews the process of biotic homogenization, including its definition, quantification, underlying ecological mechanisms, environmental drivers, the empirical evidence for different taxonomic groups, and the potential ecological and evolutionary implications. Important gaps in our knowledge are then identified, and areas of new research that show the greatest promise for advancing our current thinking on biotic homogenization are highlighted.Results  Current knowledge of the patterns, mechanisms and implications of biotic homogenization is highly variable across taxonomic groups, but in general is incomplete. Quantitative estimates are almost exclusively limited to freshwater fishes and plants in the United States, and the principal mechanisms and drivers of homogenization remain elusive. To date research has focused on taxonomic homogenization, and genetic and functional homogenization has received inadequate attention. Trends over the past decade, however, suggest that biotic homogenization is emerging as a topic of greater research interest.Main conclusions  My investigation revealed a number of important knowledge gaps and priority research needs in the science of biotic homogenization. Future studies should examine the homogenization process for different community properties (species occurrence and abundance) at multiple spatial and temporal scales, with careful attention paid to the various biological mechanisms (invasions vs. extinctions) and environmental drivers (environmental alteration vs. biotic interactions) involved. Perhaps most importantly, this research should recognize that there are multiple possible outcomes resulting from the accumulation of species invasions and extinctions, including biotic differentiation whereby genetic, taxonomic or functional similarity of biotas decreases over time.
Five (or so) challenges for species distribution modelling
Authors: Araújo Miguel B. , Guisan Antoine 
Published: August 2006

AbstractSpecies distribution modelling is central to both fundamental and applied research in biogeography. Despite widespread use of models, there are still important conceptual ambiguities as well as biotic and algorithmic uncertainties that need to be investigated in order to increase confidence in model results. We identify and discuss five areas of enquiry that are of high importance for species distribution modelling: (1) clarification of the niche concept; (2) improved designs for sampling data for building models; (3) improved parameterization; (4) improved model selection and predictor contribution; and (5) improved model evaluation. The challenges discussed in this essay do not preclude the need for developments of other areas of research in this field. However, they are critical for allowing the science of species distribution modelling to move forward.
Satisfied patients are also vulnerable patients – narratives from an acute care ward
Authors: Sørlie Venke , Torjuul Kirsti , Ross Anita , Kihlgren Mona 
Published: August 2006

Aim. To illuminate the experience of being a patient and cared for in an acute care ward.Background. Patients may be the best source of information for assessing the quality of care in acute care wards. Studies often show that patients’ satisfaction with their hospital stay is interpreted by managers and care providers as a measure for quality of care.Design. Ten patients were interviewed as part of a comprehensive investigation by four researchers into the narratives of five enrolled nurses (study No. 1 – published inNursing Ethics2004), five Registered Nurses (study No. 2 published inNursing Ethics2005) and 10 patients (study No. 3) about their experiences from an acute care ward at one university hospital in Sweden.Method. A phenomenological hermeneutical method (inspired by the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur) was conducted in all three studies.Findings. The patients are very satisfied with their treatment and care. They also tell about factors that they do not consider as optimal, but which they explain as compromises, which must be accepted as a necessary part of their stay in the ward. This study demonstrates a close connection between patient satisfaction and vulnerability.Conclusions. It is important for all health care providers not to be complacent and satisfied when patients express their satisfaction with their treatment and care. This can result in losing the focus on the patients’ vulnerability and existential thoughts and reflections which are difficult for them, and which need to be addressed.Relevance to clinical practice. The findings can be seen as a challenge for the health care providers as well as the organization to provide quality of care to patients in acute care ward. When listening to the patients’ voice it makes it easier to be aware of the content of their vulnerability.
The patient's vulnerability, dependence and exposed situation in the discharge process: experiences of district nurses, geriatric nurses and social workers
Authors: Rydeman IngBritt , Törnkvist Lena 
Published: August 2006

Aim.  The aim of the study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the experiences of the discharge process among different professionals.Background.  An optimal discharge process for hospitalized elderly to other forms of care is of crucial importance, especially since health and medical policies encourages shorter hospital stays and increased healthcare service in outpatient care.Methods.  Nurses and social workers from inpatient care, outpatient care, municipal care and social services were interviewed. Eight focus‐group interviews with a total of 31 persons were conducted. The subsequent analyses followed a phenomenological approach.Results.  The findings revealed three themes, Framework, Basic Values and Patient Resources, which influenced the professionals’ actions in the discharge process. The overall emerging structure comprised the patient's vulnerability, dependence and exposed situation in the discharge process.Conclusion.  In conclusion some factors are of special importance for the co‐operation and the actions of professionals involved in the discharge process. Firstly, a distinct and common framework, with conscious and organizationally based values. Secondly the need to take the patient resources into consideration. Together these factors could contribute to secure the patients involvement in the discharge process and to design an optimal, safe and good care.Relevance to clinical practice:  Collaborative approaches among a range of professionals within a variety of organizations are common, especially in the care of the elderly. The role and support of both the organizations and the educational units are decisive factors in this area.
Experiences of African nurses in the UK National Health Service: a literature review
Authors: Likupe Gloria 
Published: August 2006

Aim.  This review aims to highlight the experiences of black African nurses in the United Kingdom.Background.  There is an acute shortage of trained nurses in the United Kingdom, which has occurred because of several factors including ageing of the nurse population and increasing demand due to an ageing population as well as under investment in nurse education during the 1980s. Government initiatives have included recruiting nurses trained overseas to meet present and future demands. Among these internationally recruited nurses, a large number came from Africa, but little is known about the experience of nurses once they are in the United Kingdom. Although it is known that ethnic minority nurses suffer discrimination in the National Health Service, experiences of internationally recruited nurses and nurses from African countries, in particular, merit attention as their nursing practices and culture in general are different from those of developed countries.Methods.  A literature search was conducted using CINAHL, Medline and Cochrane databases by using the following terms in various combinations: Experiences, African nurses, international nurses, ethnic minorities, discrimination, equal opportunities, United Kingdom and NHS.Conclusions.  There is very little research into the experiences of African nurses in the United Kingdom. Research has concentrated on the experience of internationally recruited nurses and ethnic minority nurses in general. There is agreement that most foreign nurses have a negative experience of working in the United Kingdom. Nurses face discrimination in pay and conditions of service and most are exploited by managers. There are also ethical questions surrounding the recruitment of nurses form developing countries and their treatment once they come to the United Kingdom.Relevance to clinical practice.  As the nursing workforce in the United Kingdom becomes increasingly diverse through international recruitment, it is important to have knowledge of experiences of different groups of nurses. This helps to devise adaptation programs for smooth transition tailored to particular groups and training that will help United Kingdom nurses to work in harmony with their foreign colleagues.
Effectiveness of sleep management strategies for residents of aged care facilities: findings of a systematic review
Authors: Koch Susan , Haesler Emily , Tiziani Adriana , Wilson Jacinda 
Published: August 2006

Aims and objectives.  The objectives of this systematic review were to determine the most effective tools for the assessment and diagnosis of sleep problems, as well as identify the most effective strategies for the promotion of sleep within this population.Background.  Experiencing reduced sleep quality is often associated with normal ageing, however this may be exacerbated for residents of aged care facilities. External factors such as noise, light and night‐time nursing may impact negatively upon sleeping patterns.Methods.  Eleven electronic databases and the reference lists and bibliographies of included studies were searched. Papers were grouped according to type of intervention or assessment tool and presented in a narrative summary.Conclusions.  The review identified many interventions to promote sleep. Multidisciplinary strategies such as combining a reduction in environmental noise, reduction of night‐time nursing care and promotion of daytime activity, are likely to be most effective for promoting sleep in the population of interest. The use of sedating medications is cautioned, as their long‐term efficacy in promoting sleep is questionable. Wrist actigraphy was found to be the most accurate objective sleep assessment tool.Relevance to clinical practice.  Lack of sleep, disturbed sleep and the overuse of medications especially sedations reduce the quality of life for older people. Effective, safe sleep interventions should be promoted and practised by nurses.
Student nurses’ experiences of caring for infectious patients in source isolation. A hermeneutic phenomenological study
Authors: Cassidy Irene 
Published: August 2006

Aim.  To illuminate issues central to general student nurses’ experiences of caring for isolated patients within the hospital environment, which may assist facilitators of learning to prepare students for caring roles.Background.  Because of the development of hospital‐resistant micro‐organisms, caring for patients in source isolation is a frequent occurrence for supernumerary students on the general nursing programme. Despite this, students’ perceptions of caring for this client group remain under researched.Design and methods.  Through methods grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology, eight students in the second year of the three‐year undergraduate programme in general nursing were interviewed using an un‐structured, open‐ended and face‐to‐face interview approach. Data analysis was approached through thematic analysis.Results.  Four themes emerged: The organization: caring in context, Barriers and breaking the barriers, Theory and practice, Only a student. The imposed physical, psychological, social and emotional barriers of isolation dramatically alter the caring experience. Balancing the care of isolated patients to meet their individual needs while preventing the spread of infection has significance for students. Applying infection control theory to the care of patients in source isolation is vital for students’ personal and professional development. Perceptions of supernumerary status influence students’ experiences of caring for these patients.Relevance to clinical practice.  Designating equipment for the sole use of isolated patients assists students in maintaining infection control standards. Balancing the art and science of caring for patients in source isolation is important to reduce barriers to the student–patient relationship and to promote delivery of holistic care. Staff nurses should consider using available opportunities to impart recommended isolation practices to students thereby linking the theory of infection control to patient care. Providing structured, continuing education for all grades of staff would acknowledge the interdependence of all healthcare workers in controlling hospital‐acquired infection.
Negotiation of parental roles within family‐centred care: a review of the research
Authors: Corlett Jo , Twycross Alison 
Published: August 2006

Aims and objectives.  To review research published in the past 15 years about how children's nurses’ negotiate with parents in relation to family‐centred care.Background.  Family‐centred care is a basic tenet of children's nursing and requires a process of negotiation between health professionals and the family, which results in shared decision‐making about what the child's care will be and who will provide this. The literature highlights inconsistencies in the degree to which nurses are willing to negotiate with parents and allow them to participate in decisions regarding care of their child. There is need to explore further the extent to which nurses communicate and negotiate shared care with children and their parents.Conclusions.  Three themes emerged from this review of the literature relating to whether role negotiation occurred in practice, parental expectations of participation in their child's care and issues relating to power and control. Parents wanted to be involved in their child's care but found that nurses’ lack of communication and limited negotiation meant that this did not always occur. Nurses appeared to have clear ideas about what nursing care parents could be involved with and did not routinely negotiate with parents in this context.Relevance to clinical practice.  For family‐centred care to be a reality nurses need to negotiate and communicate with children and their families effectively. Parents need to be able to negotiate with health staff what this participation will involve and to negotiate new roles for themselves in sharing care of their sick child. Parents should be involved in the decision‐making process. However, research suggests that a lack of effective communication, professional expectations and issues of power and control often inhibit open and mutual negotiation between families and nurses.
The health beliefs of hospital staff and the reporting of needlestick injury
Authors: Tabak Nili , Shiaabana Amal Musaa , ShaSha Shaul 
Published: August 2006

Aim.  The aim of this study is to examine the connection between the health beliefs of hospital staff (doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff) and their failure to report needlestick injuries.Background.  Needlestick injury to hospital staff is quite frequent and can result in infections and disease, but staff frequently do not report the injury despite their awareness of the risk of blood‐borne pathogens.Methods.  Five questionnaires were constructed based on three existing research tools and were tested for validity and reliability. Two hundred and forty questionnaires were distributed to eight randomly chosen departments of a single Israeli hospital. Seventy‐six percent of the questionnaires were anonymously completed and returned.Results.  Nurses had the highest rate of needlestick injury, followed by auxiliary staff and doctors. Auxiliary staff showed the highest rate of compliance with the duty to report such injuries, while doctors showed the lowest. Perceived severity of contractable disease, the perceived efficacy of reporting injuries and overall motivation to maintain health were the best predictors of reporting compliance. Non‐compliers emphasized the negative aspects of reporting the injuries, primarily that it took up too much time.Conclusions.  The solution to non‐compliance with the duty to report must be a targeted investment in training and education.Relevance to clinical practice.  Finding the reasons for compliance and non‐compliance with the duty to report needlestick injuries will help in designing educational programmes for hospital staff and in determining a strategy for improving health behaviour.
Family centred care: a review of qualitative studies
Authors: Shields Linda , Pratt Jan , Hunter Judith 
Published: August 2006

Aim.  To review systematically qualitative studies, which were found during a literature search for a Cochrane systematic review of the use of family centred care in children's hospitals.Background.  Family centred care has become a cornerstone of paediatric practice, however, its effectiveness is not known. No single definition exists, rather a list of elements that constitute family centred care. However, it is recognized to involve the parents in care planning for a child in health services. A new definition is presented here.Methods.  The papers were found in wide range of databases, by hand searching and by contacting the authors where necessary, using terms given in detail in the protocol in the Cochrane Library, in 2004. Qualitative studies could not be used for statistical analysis, but are still important to the review and so are described separately in this paper.Results.  Negotiation between staff and families, perceptions held by both parents and staff roles influenced the delivery of family centred care. A sub‐theme of cost of family centred care to families and staffs was discovered and this included both financial and emotional costs.Conclusion.  Further research is needed to generate evidence about family centred care in situations arising from modern models of care in which family centred care is thought to be an inherent part, but which leave families with the care of sick children with little or no support.Relevance to clinical practice.  Family centred care is said to be used widely in practice. More research is needed to ensure that is it being implemented correctly.