11 research outputs found
The rapid rise of next-generation natural history
Get PDFMany ecologists have lamented the demise of natural history and have attributed this decline to a misguided view that natural history is outdated and unscientific. Although there is a perception that the focus in ecology and conservation have shifted away from descriptive natural history research and training toward hypothetico-deductive research, we argue that natural history has entered a new phase that we call “next-generation natural history.” This renaissance of natural history is characterized by technological and statistical advances that aid in collecting detailed observations systematically over broad spatial and temporal extents. The technological advances that have increased exponentially in the last decade include electronic sensors such as camera-traps and acoustic recorders, aircraft- and satellite-based remote sensing, animal-borne biologgers, genetics and genomics methods, and community science programs. Advances in statistics and computation have aided in analyzing a growing quantity of observations to reveal patterns in nature. These robust next-generation natural history datasets have transformed the anecdotal perception of natural history observations into systematically collected observations that collectively constitute the foundation for hypothetico-deductive research and can be leveraged and applied to conservation and management. These advances are encouraging scientists to conduct and embrace detailed descriptions of nature that remain a critically important component of the scientific endeavor. Finally, these next-generation natural history observations are engaging scientists and non-scientists alike with new documentations of the wonders of nature. Thus, we celebrate next-generation natural history for encouraging people to experience nature directly
Influence of sacroiliac bracing on muscle activation strategies during 2 functional tasks in standing-tolerant and standing-intolerant individuals
No full textPeople who develop low back pain during standing (standing-intolerant) are a subclinical group at risk for clinical low back pain. Standing-intolerant individuals respond favorably to stabilization exercise and may be similar to people with sacroiliac joint dysfunction that respond to stabilization approaches including sacroiliac joint (SIJ) bracing. The purpose was to characterize muscle activation and response to SIJ bracing in standing-tolerant and standing-intolerant individuals during forward flexion and unilateral stance. Trunk and hip electromyography data were collected from 31 participants (17 standing-tolerant and 14 standing-intolerant) while performing these tasks with and without SIJ bracing. Kinematics were captured concurrently and used for movement phase identification. Cross-correlation quantified trunk coactivation and extensor timing during return-to-stand from forward flexion; root mean square amplitude quantified gluteal activity during unilateral stance. The standing-intolerant group had elevated erector spinae–external oblique coactivation without bracing, and erector spinae–internal oblique coactivation with bracing during return-to-stand compared with standing-tolerant individuals. Both groups reversed extensor sequencing during return-to-stand with bracing. Standing-tolerant individuals had higher hip abductor activity in nondominant unilateral stance and increased hip extensor activity with bracing. SIJ bracing could be a useful adjunct to other interventions targeted toward facilitating appropriate muscle activation in standing-intolerant individuals
Doctor Who? A Quality Improvement Project to Assess and Improve Patients' Knowledge of Their Inpatient Physicians
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