bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Correlates of post‐hospital physical function at 1 year in skilled nursing facility residents
Authors: Lee Jia , Rantz Marilyn 
Published: March 2008

AbstractTitle.  Correlates of post‐hospital physical function at 1 year in skilled nursing facility residents Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to examine the relationship between health‐related admission factors and post‐hospital physical function at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months in older adult nursing facility residents.Background.  Physical functional decline is a significant health problem for older adults and has far‐reaching effects. In particular, the immediate post‐hospital period is a high‐risk time, because shortened hospital stays make it likely that older patients are discharged in a state of incomplete recovery.Method.  Data spanning from July 2002 to June 2005 were extracted from a comprehensive assessment tool, the Minimum Data Set, for 38,591 beneficiaries of a federal health insurance programme covering older adults in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. We investigated relationships between admission factors and post‐hospital physical function at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The admission factors were health‐related variables assessed at the time of skilled nursing facility admission from an acute care hospital.Findings.  The most important admission factors related to post‐hospital physical function at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months were baseline physical function, urinary incontinence and pressure ulcer. Cognitive impairment at admission demonstrated a stronger relationship with poor physical function as resident length of stay increased.Conclusion.  Nurses in skilled nursing facilities should screen post‐hospital older adults for risk of physical functional decline at admission using identified admission factors. For continuous nursing care, older adults need to be assessed at least once a month during the first 3 months after hospital discharge.
Measuring community nurses’ job satisfaction: literature review
Authors: Caers Ralf , Du Bois Cindy , Jegers Marc , De Gieter Sara , De Cooman Rein , Pepermans Roland 
Published: March 2008

AbstractTitle.  Measuring community nurses’ job satisfaction: literature review Aim.  This paper is a report of a review of the literature on community nurses’ job satisfaction, including research using different scales and settings, what is known to date and directions for future research.Background.  Job satisfaction is one of the strongest predictors of intent to stay and retention of nurses. An adequate understanding of the sources of job satisfaction and their importance can aid policymakers in the community nursing setting to cope with the growing demand for its services.Data sources. A database of papers was established using ISI Web of Knowledge. Cited references were used to expand the database. Journals adding to the database were scanned for related research. This technique was repeated until no additional papers could be found.Findings.  Twelve job satisfaction scales were found, with striking differences in methodology, settings and sample characteristics of the studies concerned. A wide variety of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction sources is identified, but little is known on their relative importance. The Measure of Job Satisfaction and the Home Healthcare Nurses’ Job Satisfaction Scale prove highly reliable and applicable.Conclusion. Findings on the level and sources of community nurses’ job satisfaction are ambiguous. Of all the scales reviewed, the Home Healthcare Nurses’ Job Satisfaction Scale seems most promising for use in future research, based on its strong psychometric properties and its specificity for the community nursing setting.
Representations of disability in nursing and healthcare literature: an integrative review
Authors: Boyles Christina McMillan , Bailey Patricia H. , Mossey Sharolyn 
Published: March 2008

AbstractTitle.  Representations of disability in nursing and healthcare literature: an integrative review Aim.  This paper is a report of an integrative review to explore the way in which disability has been considered in the multidisciplinary health and nursing literature.Background.  In the multidisciplinary health and nursing literature, two ways are presented in which disability can be understood: the traditional, functional perspective and a more contemporary, social perspective.Data sources.  Computerized databases of the CINAHL, Proquest Nursing and Allied Health Sources, EBSCO and Evidence Based Medicine Reviews Multifile and Cochrane databases were conducted for papers published in English in the period 1963–2007 using the keywords ‘models of disability’, ‘disability and nursing research’ and ‘theories of disability’.Methods.  An integrative review was performed and, of the 11,578 papers identified, 65 were included.Results.  The concept of functional disability refers to an individual who is physically ‘disabled’ and unable to perform expected roles. The concepts of social stigmatization and normalcy are associated with functional disability. In contrast, social disability concerns functional limitations within an individual’s experience of living with disability, examining how socially constructed barriers actually ‘disable’ people. Conventionally, disability research has been conducted from an etic perspective. Researchers contend that a shift towards an understanding from the emic perspective is needed for disability research to be emancipatory.Conclusion.  Adoption of a social perspective is necessary to inform an understanding of disability that addresses stigmatization and oppression. Research‐informed nursing practice, complemented by supportive health and social policies, could transform the experience of living with disability.
Using quantitative real‐time PCR to detect salmonid prey in scats of grey Halichoerus grypus and harbour Phoca vitulina seals in Scotland – an experimental and field study
Authors: Matejusová I. , Doig F. , Middlemas S. J. , Mackay S. , Douglas A. , Armstrong J. D. , Cunningham C. O. , Snow M. 
Published: March 2008

Summary

There is considerable debate over the impact of seal predation on salmonid populations in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Conventional hard‐part analysis of scats has suggested that salmonids represent a minor component of the diet of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the UK. However, it is unclear whether this is an accurate reflection of the diet or due to methodological problems. To investigate this issue, we applied quantitative PCR (qPCR) to examine the presence of salmonids in the diet of seals in the Moray Firth, UK, during the summers of 2003 and 2005.
Two qPCR assays were designed to detect Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and sea trout Salmo trutta DNA in field samples and experimentally spiked scats. The proportion of scats sampled in the field that were positive for salmonid DNA was low (ª10%). However, the DNA technique consistently resulted in more positive scats than when hard‐part analysis was used.
An experimental study using spiked scat material revealed a highly significant negative relationship between Ct values obtained from the Atlantic salmon qPCR assay and the proportion of Atlantic salmon material added to scats. The Ct value denotes the cycle number at which the increasing fluorescence signal of target DNA crosses a threshold value. Ct values from field‐collected seal scats suggested they contained a very low concentration of salmonid remains (1–5%) based on an approximate calibration curve constructed from the experimental data.
Synthesis and applications. The qPCR assay approach was shown to be highly efficient and consistent in detection of salmonids from seal scats, and to be more sensitive than conventional hard‐parts analysis. Nevertheless, our results confirm previous studies indicating that salmonids are not common prey for seals in these Scottish estuaries. These studies support current management practice, which focuses on control of the small number of seals that move into key salmonid rivers, rather than targeting the larger groups of animals that haul‐out in nearby estuaries.
Escape and establishment of transgenic glyphosate‐resistant creeping bentgrass Agrostis stolonifera in Oregon, USA: a 4‐year study
Authors: Zapiola M. L. , Campbell C. K. , Butler M. D. , Mallory‐Smith C. A. 
Published: March 2008

Summary

Gene flow from transgenic crops to feral populations and naturalized compatible relatives has been raised as one of the main issues for the deregulation of transgenic events. Creeping bentgrass, Agrostis stolonifera L., is a perennial, outcrossing grass that propagates by seeds and stolons. Transgenic Roundup Ready® glyphosate‐resistant creeping bentgrass (GRCB), which is currently under USDA‐APHIS regulated status, was planted in 2002 on 162 ha within a production control area in Oregon, USA.
We conducted a study to assess transgene flow from the GRCB fields. A survey within and around the production control area was performed during the year when the GRCB fields produced seed and for 3 years after the fields were taken out of production. Transgene flow was determined by testing creeping bentgrass and its relatives for expression of the glyphosate resistance transgene.
While GRCB seed‐production practices were strictly regulated, evidence of transgene flow was found in all years. In 2006, 3 years after the transgene source fields were taken out of production and a mitigation programme was initiated, 62% of the 585 creeping bentgrass plants tested in situ were glyphosate‐resistant (GR). Our results document not only the movement of the glyphosate resistance transgene from the fields, but also the establishment and persistence of high frequencies of GR plants in the area, confirming that it was unrealistic to think that containment or eradication of GRCB could be accomplished.
Synthesis and applications: These findings highlight the potential for transgene escape and gene flow at a landscape level. The survey provides empirical frequencies that can be used to design monitoring and management methods for genetically engineered (GE) varieties of outcrossing, wind‐pollinated, perennial grasses and to evaluate the potential for coexistence of GE and non‐GE grass seed crops. Such information should also be used in the decision‐making process for authorization of field trials and deregulation of genetic engineering events.
Dietary shift of an invasive predator: rats, seabirds and sea turtles
Authors: Caut Stéphane , Angulo Elena , Courchamp Franck 
Published: March 2008

Summary

Rats have reached about 80% of the world's islands and are among the most successful invasive mammals. Rats are opportunistic predators that are notorious for their impact on a variety of animal and plant species. However, little documented evidence on the complexities of these interactions is available.
In our study, we assessed the impact of black rats Rattus rattus introduced on a small uninhabited island with a relatively simple ecosystem, Surprise Island, New Caledonia. We also compared the diet of R. rattus in the presence and absence of breeding seabirds, assessing the dietary compensation for this potentially important food source. From 2002 to 2005, we used live trapping studies combined with stable isotope analysis and conventional diet analyses (direct observations, gut and faecal contents) to characterize the diet of rats.
Our results suggest a heavy predatory impact on seabirds, which could constitute as much as 24% of the rat diet. Moreover, in the absence of birds, rats compensated marginally by preying more heavily on other components of their diet but mostly acquired a new resource. They shifted their diet by preying heavily upon another endangered species, the hatchlings of sea turtles Chelonia mydas, which could constitute the main resource in the diet of R. rattus in those periods. Abundance, body condition and distribution of the rats were consistent with heavy predation upon this additional resource.
Synthesis and applications. In island ecosystems invasive rats prey mainly upon seabird eggs and chicks, thereby threatening their populations. Although rats are certainly capable of surviving on terrestrial foods outside the seabird nesting season, their ability to prey upon ephemeral but abundant resources, such as hatchling sea turtles, may contribute to maintaining their populations. This may explain their success on Surprise Island, an ecosystem of extreme conditions, and suggests that biologists and managers working with threatened species should be aware of the possibility of temporary diet shifts by introduced rodents that may cause unexpected heavy predation on these species. This dietary shift from one endangered taxa to another has major implications for the conservation of seabirds and sea turtles world‐wide and more generally for the biodiversity of invaded insular communities.
Canopy shade and the successional replacement of tamarisk by native box elder
Authors: Dewine J. M. , Cooper D. J. 
Published: March 2008

Summary

Tamarisk species (Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb., T. chinensis Lour., T. gallica L. and hybrids) have invaded riparian areas throughout western North America, resulting in expansive control efforts. Tamarisk is a relatively recent addition to North American plant communities, and competitive and successional processes are still developing. Box elder (Acer negundo L. var. interius (Britt.) Sarg.) is a native competitor found in canyons throughout western North America. We investigated the establishment chronology, competition and comparative shade tolerances of tamarisk and box elder to determine the superior competitor and to predict successional trajectories in mixed stands.
Competition was studied through neighbourhood analysis, and successional trends were analysed through dendrochronology in the canyons of Dinosaur National Monument, CO, USA. The shade tolerance of mature tamarisk was studied by enclosing individual plants in shade cloth for two growing seasons. The comparative shade tolerances of juvenile tamarisk and box elder were studied using five levels of shading in a glasshouse experiment.
Box elder and tamarisk established concurrently, or tamarisk establishment preceded box elder establishment. Box elder was the superior competitor; the presence of canopy box elders within 1 and 2 m was significantly related to tamarisk mortality but not box elder mortality. The presence of canopy tamarisk trees was not related to box elder or tamarisk mortality.
In the field‐based experiment, mature tamarisks were killed when subjected to one to two growing seasons of 98% shade. In the greenhouse‐based experiment, box elder had superior shade tolerance to tamarisk, maintained positive growth and survived under higher shade than tamarisk.
Synthesis and applications. Box elder is a superior competitor to tamarisk, and is capable of establishing under dense tamarisk canopies, overtopping and eventually killing tamarisk. Superior shade tolerance appears to be the mechanism for the successional replacement of tamarisk by box elder. The manipulation of competitive and successional processes through the promotion of box elder and other native tree establishment is suggested as a means of tamarisk control to complement traditional control techniques.
Grasping at the routes of biological invasions: a framework for integrating pathways into policy
Authors: Hulme P. E. , Bacher S. , Kenis M. , Klotz S. , Kühn I. , Minchin D. , Nentwig W. , Olenin S. , Panov V. , Pergl J. , Pyšek P. , Roques A. , Sol D. , Solarz W. , Vilà M. 
Published: March 2008

SummaryPathways describe the processes that result in the introduction of alien species from one location to another. A framework is proposed to facilitate the comparative analysis of invasion pathways by a wide range of taxa in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Comparisons with a range of data helped identify existing gaps in current knowledge of pathways and highlight the limitations of existing legislation to manage introductions of alien species. The scheme aims for universality but uses the European Union as a case study for the regulatory perspectives.Alien species may arrive and enter a new region through three broad mechanisms: importation of a commodity, arrival of a transport vector, and/or natural spread from a neighbouring region where the species is itself alien. These three mechanisms result in six principal pathways: release, escape, contaminant, stowaway, corridor and unaided.Alien species transported as commodities may be introduced as a deliberate release or as an escape from captivity. Many species are not intentionally transported but arrive as a contaminant of a commodity, for example pathogens and pests. Stowaways are directly associated with human transport but arrive independently of a specific commodity, for example organisms transported in ballast water, cargo and airfreight. The corridor pathway highlights the role transport infrastructures play in the introduction of alien species. The unaided pathway describes situations where natural spread results in alien species arriving into a new region from a donor region where it is also alien.Vertebrate pathways tend to be characterized as deliberate releases, invertebrates as contaminants and plants as escapes. Pathogenic micro‐organisms and fungi are generally introduced as contaminants of their hosts. The corridor and unaided pathways are often ignored in pathway assessments but warrant further detailed consideration.Synthesis and applications.Intentional releases and escapes should be straightforward to monitor and regulate but, in practice, developing legislation has proved difficult. New introductions continue to occur through contaminant, stowaway, corridor and unaided pathways. These pathways represent special challenges for management and legislation. The present framework should enable these trends to be monitored more clearly and hopefully lead to the development of appropriate regulations or codes of practice to stem the number of future introductions.
In search for key biogeochemical factors affecting plant species persistence in heathland and acidic grasslands: a comparison of common and rare species
Authors: Kleijn David , Bekker Renée M. , Bobbink Roland , De Graaf Maaike C. C. , Roelofs Jan G. M. 
Published: March 2008

Summary

During the last century, many plant species typical of heathland and nutrient‐poor acidic grasslands have become rare whereas others have remained common. Habitat restoration often fails to enhance the rare species, which may in part be caused by the failure to restore the biogeochemical conditions suited to these species. Many soil variables have been shown to affect plant fitness but it is unknown what their relative importance is and whether any biogeochemical variable acts as a key factor constraining the persistence of rare heathland species.
We compiled a data set consisting of 300 vegetation samples and the associated soil chemical properties from a range of studies carried out across the Netherlands. We asked whether growth sites of rare and common species typical of heathland and acidic grasslands differed in their biogeochemical properties, and whether growth sites of rare species displayed less variation in soil biogeochemical variables (e.g. had narrower ecological amplitude).
Regardless of rarity, the species’ growth sites were most accurately described by a curvilinear relationship between pH and Al/Ca ratios. Other soil characteristics did not vary systematically with changing acidity of the soil or the patterns were less pronounced. Acidification will therefore most rapidly and predictably result in an increase in Al/Ca ratio whereas this is not necessarily the case for the other soil variables affecting plant fitness.
The soil ammonium (NH4) concentration and ammonium/nitrate (NH4/NO3) ratio were 3·5 and 3 times higher, respectively, in growth sites of common species compared with those of rare species. No other measured variable differed significantly between rare and common plant species.
On average rare species had a significantly narrower ecological amplitude than common species for soil biogeochemical parameters.
Synthesis and applications. A greater sensitivity to high NH4 concentrations in combination with a narrower ecological tolerance zone for a range of soil biogeochemical factors may explain the demise of rare species adapted to nutrient‐poor acidic habitats in recent decades. Conservation management should aim to restore low NH4 concentrations and NH4/NO3 ratios. Experimental studies indicate that the most effective way to do this is through removal of the topsoil in combination with liming.
Incorporating distance constraints into species distribution models
Authors: Allouche Omri , Steinitz Ofer , Rotem Dotan , Rosenfeld Arik , Kadmon Ronen 
Published: March 2008

Summary

Species distribution models (SDM) are increasingly applied as predictive tools for purposes of conservation planning and management. Such models rely on the concept of the ecological niche and assume that distribution patterns of the modelled species are at some sort of equilibrium with the environment. This assumption contrasts with empirical evidence indicating that distribution patterns of many species are constrained by dispersal limitation.
We demonstrate that the performance of SDM based on presence‐only data can be significantly enhanced by incorporating distance constraints (functions relating the likelihood of species’ occurrences at a site to the distance of the site from known presence locations) to the modelling procedure. This result is highly consistent for a variety of niche‐based models (ENFA, DOMAIN and Mahalanobis distance), distance functions (nearest neighbour distance, cumulative distance and Gaussian filter) and taxonomic groups (plants, snails and birds, a total of 226 species).
Distance constraints are expected to enhance the accuracy of niche‐based models even in the absence of strong dispersal limitation by accounting for mass effects and spatial autocorrelation in environmental factors for which data are not available.
While distance‐based methods outperformed niche‐based models when all data were used, their accuracy deteriorated sharply with smaller sample sizes. Niche‐based methods are shown to cope better with small sample sizes than distance‐based methods, demonstrating the potential advantage of niche‐based models when calibration data are limited.
Synthesis and applications. Incorporating distance constraints in SDM provides a simple yet powerful method to account for spatial autocorrelation in patterns of species distribution, and is shown empirically to improve significantly the performance of such models. We therefore recommend incorporating distance constraints in future applications of SDM.