Distribution and Abundance of Fin whales and other baleen whales in the European Atlantic

The abundance of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and other baleen whales was generated from data collected during shipboard sightings surveys as part of the Cetacean Offshore Distribution and Abundance in the European Atlantic project (CODA). The survey area covered offshore waters beyond the continental shelf of the UK, Ireland, France and Spain. The area was stratified into four blocks and was surveyed by five ships during July 2007. Double platform methods employing the trialconfiguration method (BT-method) were used. Fin, sei (B. borealis) and minke whales (B. acutorostrata) were positively identified, with possible sightings of blue whales (B. musculus). Abundance was estimated for these species and for “large baleen whales” which included fin, sei, fin/sei and blue whales. Abundance for the larger species was estimated using the Mark- Recapture Line Transect design-based method and also model-based methods using density surface modelling. Sample size limitations dictated that conventional line transect sampling methods were used to estimate the abundance of minke whales. Estimates from the two methods were comparable but model-based methods improved the precision and were considered best estimates. The density of large baleen whale species was greatest in the southern end of the survey area and water depth, temperature and distance to the 2000m contour were important predictors of their distribution. The total abundance estimated for the entire survey area was 9,019 (CV=0.11) fin whales and 9,619 (CV= 0.11) large baleen whales. The uncertainty around these estimates due to duplicate classification and species identification were explored. The fin whale estimate is likely to be underestimated because it excludes unidentified large whales, of which a large proportion was likely to have been fin whales. Notwithstanding this, these large baleen whale abundance estimates are the first robust estimates (corrected for responsive movement and g(0)) for this area. The estimated abundance of minke whales was 6,765 (CV=0.99) and sightings were restricted to the northern blocks of the survey area. The minke whale estimate, although imprecise and likely underestimated, does provide a baseline figure for this area and, when considered with results from the SCANS-II continental shelf surveys of July 2005, gives a more comprehensive picture of this species in the European Atlantic. These abundance estimates are important contributions to the conservation and management of these species in the Northeast Atlantic

Abundance of baleen whales in the European Atlantic

The abundance of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), sei whales (B. borealis) and minke whales (B. acutorostrata) was estimated from data collected during shipboard sightings surveys conducted as part of CODA and TNASS (Faroese block) in July 2007 in offshore waters of the European Atlantic west of the UK, Ireland, France and Spain, combined with data collected from shipboard and aerial surveys of European Atlantic continental shelf waters conducted as part of SCANS-II in July 2005. Double platform methods employing the trial-configuration method (BT-method) were used in all shipboard surveys. Analysis used Mark-Recapture Distance Sampling to account for animals missed on the transect line. Density surface modelling was undertaken to generate model-based abundance estimates and maps of predicted density. Estimates are presented for the SCANS-II and CODA survey areas. Estimates for the Faroese block of TNASS have been presented elsewhere. The abundance of fin whales in the CODA and SCANS-II areas was estimated as 19,354 (CV 0.24) for identified sightings and 29,512 (CV 0.26) when adjusted to include a proportion of unidentified large whale abundance (which included large baleen and sperm whales), prorated by number of sightings, because there were a large number of such sightings in one of the CODA survey blocks. The model-based estimate of identified fin whales was 19,751 (CV 0.17), more precise than the design-based estimate. Fin whales were mainly found in the southern part of the CODA survey area. Estimates based on identified sightings were comparable to those from the Spanish survey conducted as part of 1989 NASS but were larger if adjusted for a proportion of unidentified large whales. Sei whales were rare except in the southwest of the survey area; the estimate of abundance was 619 (CV 0.34) for identified sightings and 765 (CV 0.43) adjusted for a proportion of unidentified large whales. Minke whale abundance was estimated for shelf and offshore European Atlantic waters as 30,410 (CV 0.34). The model-based estimate was less precise and considerably larger

The role of healthcare professionals in encouraging parents to see and hold their stillborn baby: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Background: Globally, during 2013 there were three million recorded stillbirths. Where clinical guidelines exist some recommend that professionals do not encourage parental contact. The guidance is based on quantitative evidence that seeing and holding the baby is not beneficial for everyone, but has been challenged by bereaved parents' organisations. We aim to inform future guideline development through a synthesis of qualitative studies reporting data relevant to the research question; how does the approach of healthcare professionals to seeing and holding the baby following stillbirth impact parents views and experiences? Methods/Findings: Using a predetermined search strategy of PubMed and PsychINFO we identified robust qualitative studies reporting bereaved parental views and/or experiences relating to seeing and holding their stillborn baby (final search 24 February, 2014). Eligible studies were English language, reporting parental views, with gestational loss >20weeks. Quality was independently assessed by three authors using a validated tool. We used meta-ethnographic techniques to identify key themes and a line of argument synthesis. We included 12 papers, representing the views of 333 parents (156 mothers, 150 fathers, and 27 couples) from six countries. The final themes were: "[Still]birth: Nature of care is paramount", "Real babies: Perfect beauties, monsters and spectres", and "Opportunity of a lifetime lost." Our line-of-argument synthesis highlights the contrast between all parents need to know their baby, with the time around birth being the only time memories can be made, and the variable ability that parents have to articulate their preferences at that time. Thus, we hypothesised that how health professionals approach contact between parents and their stillborn baby demands a degree of active management. An important limitation of this paper is all included studies originated from high income, westernised countries raising questions about the findings transferability to other cultural contexts. We do not offer new evidence to answer the question "Should parents see and hold their stillborn baby?", instead our findings advance understanding of how professionals can support parents to make appropriate decisions in a novel, highly charged and dynamic situation. Conclusions: Guidelines could be more specific in their recommendations regarding parental contact. The role of healthcare professionals in encouraging parents to see and hold their stillborn baby is paramount. Parental choice not to see their baby, apprehension, or uncertainty should be continuously revisited in the hours after birth as the opportunity for contact is fleeting and final

Integration of research and practice to improve public health and healthcare delivery through a collaborative 'Health Integration Team' model - A qualitative investigation

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: Economic considerations and the requirement to ensure the quality, safety and integration of research with health and social care provision have given rise to local developments of collaborative organisational forms and strategies to span the translational gaps. One such model - the Health Integration Team (HIT) model in Bristol in the United Kingdom (UK) - brings together National Health Service (NHS) organisations, universities, local authorities, patients and the public to facilitate the systematic application of evidence to promote integration across healthcare pathways. This study aimed to (1) provide empirical evidence documenting the evolution of the model; (2) to identify the social and organisational processes and theory of change underlying healthcare knowledge and practice; and (3) elucidate the key aspects of the HIT model for future development and translation to other localities. Methods: Contemporaneous documents were analysed, using procedures associated with Framework Analysis to produce summarised data for descriptive accounts. In-depth interviews were undertaken with key informants and analysed thematically. Comparative methods were applied to further analyse the two data sets. Results: One hundred forty documents were analysed and 10 interviews conducted with individuals in leadership positions in the universities, NHS commissioning and provider organisations involved in the design and implementation of the HIT model. Data coalesced around four overarching themes: 'Whole system' engagement, requiring the active recruitment of all those who have a stake in the area of practice being considered, and 'collaboration' to enable coproduction were identified as 'process' themes. System-level integration and innovation were identified as potential 'outcomes' with far-reaching impacts on population health and service delivery. Conclusion: The HIT model emerged as a particular response to the perceived need for integration of research and practice to improve public health and healthcare delivery at a time of considerable organisational turmoil and financial constraints. The concept gained momentum and will likely be of interest to those involved in setting up similar arrangements, and researchers in the social and implementation sciences with an interest in their evaluation

Widespread forest vertebrate extinctions induced by a mega hydroelectric dam in lowland Amazonia

Mega hydropower projects in tropical forests pose a major emergent threat to terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity worldwide. Despite the unprecedented number of existing, underconstruction and planned hydroelectric dams in lowland tropical forests, long-term effects on biodiversity have yet to be evaluated. We examine how medium and large-bodied assemblages of terrestrial and arboreal vertebrates (including 35 mammal, bird and tortoise species) responded to the drastic 26-year post-isolation history of archipelagic alteration in landscape structure and habitat quality in a major hydroelectric reservoir of Central Amazonia. The Balbina Hydroelectric Dam inundated 3,129 km2 of primary forests, simultaneously isolating 3,546 land-bridge islands. We conducted intensive biodiversity surveys at 37 of those islands and three adjacent continuous forests using a combination of four survey techniques, and detected strong forest habitat area effects in explaining patterns of vertebrate extinction. Beyond clear area effects, edge-mediated surface fire disturbance was the most important additional driver of species loss, particularly in islands smaller than 10 ha. Based on species-area models, we predict that only 0.7% of all islands now harbor a species-rich vertebrate assemblage consisting of ≥80% of all species. We highlight the colossal erosion in vertebrate diversity driven by a man-made dam and show that the biodiversity impacts of mega dams in lowland tropical forest regions have been severely overlooked. The geopolitical strategy to deploy many more large hydropower infrastructure projects in regions like lowland Amazonia should be urgently reassessed, and we strongly advise that long-term biodiversity impacts should be explicitly included in pre-approval environmental impact assessments

Young women's decisions to accept chlamydia screening: influences of stigma and doctor-patient interactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An understanding of the factors that encourage young women to accept, and discourage them from accepting, STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing is needed to underpin opportunistic screening programs for the STI <it>Chlamydia trachomatis </it>(opportunistic screening involves healthcare professionals offering chlamydia tests to people while they are attending health services for reasons that are usually unrelated to their sexual health). We conducted a qualitative study to identify and explore: how young women would feel about being offered opportunistic tests for chlamydia?; how young women would like to be offered screening, and who they wanted to be offered screening by?; and what factors would influence young women's partner notification preferences for chlamydia (who they would notify in the event of a positive diagnosis of chlamydia, how they would want to do this).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Semi-structured interviews with 35 young women between eighteen and twenty nine years of age. The study was conducted in the Dublin and Galway regions of the Republic of Ireland. Young adults were recruited from General Practice (GP) practices, Third Level College health services, Family Planning clinics and specialist STI treatment services.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Respondents were worried that their identities would become stigmatised if they accepted screening. Younger respondents and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds had the greatest stigma-related concerns. Most respondents indicated that they would accept screening if it was offered to them, however; accepting screening was seen as a correct, responsible action to engage in. Respondents wanted to be offered screening by younger female healthcare professionals. Respondents were willing to inform their current partners about positive chlamydia diagnoses, but were more ambivalent about informing their previous partners.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>If an effort is not put into reducing young women's stigma-related concerns the population coverage of Chlamydia screening might be reduced.</p

Evidence for distinct coastal and offshore communities of bottlenose dolphins in the north east Atlantic.

Bottlenose dolphin stock structure in the northeast Atlantic remains poorly understood. However, fine scale photo-id data have shown that populations can comprise multiple overlapping social communities. These social communities form structural elements of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) [corrected] populations, reflecting specific ecological and behavioural adaptations to local habitats. We investigated the social structure of bottlenose dolphins in the waters of northwest Ireland and present evidence for distinct inshore and offshore social communities. Individuals of the inshore community had a coastal distribution restricted to waters within 3 km from shore. These animals exhibited a cohesive, fission-fusion social organisation, with repeated resightings within the research area, within a larger coastal home range. The offshore community comprised one or more distinct groups, found significantly further offshore (>4 km) than the inshore animals. In addition, dorsal fin scarring patterns differed significantly between inshore and offshore communities with individuals of the offshore community having more distinctly marked dorsal fins. Specifically, almost half of the individuals in the offshore community (48%) had characteristic stereotyped damage to the tip of the dorsal fin, rarely recorded in the inshore community (7%). We propose that this characteristic is likely due to interactions with pelagic fisheries. Social segregation and scarring differences found here indicate that the distinct communities are likely to be spatially and behaviourally segregated. Together with recent genetic evidence of distinct offshore and coastal population structures, this provides evidence for bottlenose dolphin inshore/offshore community differentiation in the northeast Atlantic. We recommend that social communities should be considered as fundamental units for the management and conservation of bottlenose dolphins and their habitat specialisations

The clustering of health behaviours in Ireland and their relationship with mental health, self-rated health and quality of life

Health behaviours do not occur in isolation. Rather they cluster together. It is important to examine patterns of health behaviours to inform a more holistic approach to health in both health promotion and illness prevention strategies. Examination of patterns is also important because of the increased risk of mortality, morbidity and synergistic effects of health behaviours. This study examines the clustering of health behaviours in a nationally representative sample of Irish adults and explores the association of these clusters with mental health, self-rated health and quality of life

Triggers of self-conscious emotions in the sexually transmitted infection testing process

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt and embarrassment) are part of many individuals' experiences of seeking STI testing. These emotions can have negative impacts on individuals' interpretations of the STI testing process, their willingness to seek treatment and their willingness to inform sexual partners in light of positive STI diagnoses. Because of these impacts, researchers have called for more work to be completed on the connections between shame, guilt, embarrassment and STI testing. We examine the specific events in the STI testing process that trigger self-conscious emotions in young adults who seek STI testing; and to understand what it is about these events that triggers these emotions.</p> <p>Semi-structured interviews with 30 adults (21 women, 9 men) in the Republic of Ireland.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Seven specific triggers of self-conscious emotions were identified. These were: having unprotected sex, associated with the initial reason for seeking STI testing; talking to partners and peers about the intention to seek STI testing; the experience of accessing STI testing facilities and sitting in clinic waiting rooms; negative interactions with healthcare professionals; receiving a positive diagnosis of an STI; having to notify sexual partners in light of a positive STI diagnosis; and accessing healthcare settings for treatment for an STI. Self-conscious emotions were triggered in each case by a perceived threat to respondents' social identities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There are multiple triggers of self-conscious emotions in the STI testing process, ranging from the initial decision to seek testing, right through to the experience of accessing treatment. The role of self-conscious emotions needs to be considered in each component of service design from health promotion approaches, through facility layout to the training of all professionals involved in the STI testing process.</p