Understanding the interplay of temperature and moisture on the germination niche to improve management of threatened species impacted by mining

The return of vegetation to mined lands often requires broadcast seeding of diverse native seed mixes. However, seeds are highly adapted to germination windows with specific hydrothermal thresholds that maximize the likelihood of seedling survival, and post-mining landscapes typically offer markedly different hydrothermal conditions than pre-disturbance ecosystems. According to niche theory, generalist species should exhibit broader hydrothermal performance niches than specialist taxa, which may influence the success of recruitment from seeds in post-mining ecological restoration. To test this assumption, the impact of hydrothermal stress (incubation temperature (10–30°C) and osmotic potential (−0.8 to 0 MPa)) on the time to 50% germination (t50) and maximum germination (Gmax) was compared between two narrow-range species of conservation concern (Acacia woodmaniorum and A. karina) restricted to mining-impacted Banded Ironstone Formations (BIF) and three broadly distributed congenerics (A. assimilis, A. exocarpoides, and A. ramulosa). The hydrothermal germination niches of the study species were broadly congruent with hydrothermal conditions of their habitats. The two range-restricted taxa were more tolerant of hydrothermal stress compared to the three widely distributed taxa, suggesting that tolerance of greater hydrothermal stress by both range-restricted Acacia species is likely to be adaptive to establishment in uncontested niche space. Complex interactions between thermal and water stress suggest these environmental gradients may shape the germination niche as well as patterns of plant diversity in BIF ecosystems. This study highlights the importance of quantifying interactions between niche dimensions and their implications for species performance, which will aid future restoration efforts for micro-endemic species impacted by mining

Effect of a Commercially Available Low-Dose Capsaicin Supplement on Knee Extensor Contractile Function

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(2): 312-318, 2020. Capsaicin, the active pungent ingredient in chili peppers and various spicy foods, is demonstrated to influence a variety of physiological systems including skeletal muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine if a chewable capsaicin supplement (1.2 mg) could enhance isokinetic knee extensor contractile performance. Nine young, recreationally active individuals (5 females/4 males; 23.6 ± 1.5 yrs; 24.2 ± 3.3 kg/m2) participated in this randomized, single-blind crossover study. Following a familiarization session, participants completed two isokinetic knee extensor contractile function assessments, 45 minutes after ingesting either a capsaicin fruit gummy or eucaloric placebo, the order of which was randomized. Knee extensor peak torque (strength), summed torque (endurance) and fatigue index (fatigue) were compared between trials. Knee extensor peak torque was significantly greater (p \u3c 0.05; d= 0.80) in the capsaicin (126.0 ± 40.4 N⋅m-1) than the placebo (118.8 ± 41.3 N⋅m-1) trial. No significant differences (p \u3e 0.05) were found for summed torque (8012 ± 2771 vs. 7823 ± 2611 N⋅m-1; d= 0.45) or fatigue index (56.0 ± 17.1 vs. 48.7 ± 21.0 %; d= 0.46) between capsaicin and placebo trials, respectively. These findings, in a relatively modest and mixed-gender sample, suggest that pre-exercise capsaicin ingestion may benefit knee extensor muscle strength but does not appear to affect parameters of skeletal muscle endurance or fatigue

Higher Education Exchange: 2008

This annual publication serves as a forum for new ideas and dialogue between scholars and the larger public. Essays explore ways that students, administrators, and faculty can initiate and sustain an ongoing conversation about the public life they share.The Higher Education Exchange is founded on a thought articulated by Thomas Jefferson in 1820: "I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."In the tradition of Jefferson, the Higher Education Exchange agrees that a central goal of higher education is to help make democracy possible by preparing citizens for public life. The Higher Education Exchange is part of a movement to strengthen higher education's democratic mission and foster a more democratic culture throughout American society.Working in this tradition, the Higher Education Exchange publishes interviews, case studies, analyses, news, and ideas about efforts within higher education to develop more democratic societies

Training Load, Injury Burden, and Team Success in Professional Rugby Union:Risk Versus Reward

CONTEXT: Individual and team injury burden and performance are 2 key considerations facing practitioners in the daily prescription of an athlete's training load. Whereas a considerable number of researchers have examined univariate relationships between training load and performance, training load and injury, or injury and performance, few investigators have examined all 3 concurrently. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association among training load, injury burden, and performance in professional rugby union. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: The English Premiership competition. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Individual injury and training load data, as well as team performance data, were captured during the 2015–2016 (n = 433 players) and 2016–2017 (n = 569 players) seasons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Data were aggregated into team average scores for each week, including weekly (acute) load, smoothed chronic load, changes in load, injury burden, and weekly performance. Linear mixed modelling techniques were used to assess the association among measures. RESULTS: Injury burden was negatively associated with performance, with a high weekly burden associated with a likely harmful (P = .01) decrease in performance. Training load measures displayed only trivial associations with performance. Only the acute:chronic workload ratio measure was clearly associated with injury burden, with a possibly harmful effect (P = .02). Both squad size and player availability were associated with only trivial changes in performance. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas no association between average training load and performance existed, associations between training load and injury burden and between injury burden and performance were clear. Further investigation using more sensitive and individualized measures of load, performance, and injury may elicit a clearer relationship and should be considered for future work

Investigating awareness, fear and control associated with norovirus and other pathogens and pollutants using best–worst scaling

Pollutants found in the water and air environment represent an ever-growing threat to human health. Contact with some air-, water- and foodborne pathogens (e.g. norovirus) results in gastrointestinal diseases and outbreaks. For future risk mitigation, we aimed to measure people’s awareness of waterborne and foodborne norovirus relative to other environment-associated pollutants (e.g. pesticides, bioaerosols, antibiotic resistant bacteria) and well-known risks (e.g. diabetes, dementia, terrorist attack). We used an online survey, which included a best–worst scaling component to elicit personal levels of control and fear prompted by norovirus relative to 15 other risks. There was a negative correlation between levels of fear vs. control for all 16 measured risks. Perceived infection control levels were higher amongst women compared to men and correlated with age and the level of qualification in both groups. Participants who had sought advice regarding the symptoms caused by norovirus appeared to have more control over the risks. Norovirus is associated with high levels of fear, however, the levels of control over it is low compared to other foodborne illnesses, e.g. Salmonella. Addressing this deficit in the public’s understanding of how to control exposure to the pathogen in an important health need

Training load and injury risk in elite Rugby Union:The largest investigation to date

AbstractTraining load monitoring has grown in recent years with the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) widely used to aggregate data to inform decision-making on injury risk. Several methods have been described to calculate the ACWR and numerous methodological issues have been raised. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between the ACWR and injury in a sample of 696 players from 13 professional rugby clubs over two seasons for 1718 injuries of all types and a further analysis of 383 soft tissue injuries specifically. Of the 192 comparisons undertaken for both injury groups, 40% (all injury) and 31% (soft tissue injury) were significant. Furthermore, there appeared to be no calculation method that consistently demonstrated a relationship with injury. Some calculation methods supported previous work for a “sweet spot” in injury risk, while a substantial number of methods displayed no such relationship. This study is the largest to date to have investigated the relationship between the ACWR and injury risk and demonstrates that there appears to be no consistent association between the two. This suggests that alternative methods of training load aggregation may provide more useful information, but these should be considered in the wider context of other established risk factors.</jats:p

The Time Local Convex Hull method as a tool for assessing responses of fauna to habitat restoration: A case study using the perentie (Varanus giganteus: Reptilia: Varanidae)

Understanding the behavioural responses of animals to habitat change is vital to their conservation in landscapes undergoing restoration. Studies of animal responses to habitat restoration typically assess species presence/absencehowever, such studies may be restricted in their ability to show whether restoration is facilitating the return of self-sustaining and functional fauna populations. We present a case study using VHF/GPS tracking of a young adult perentie (Varanus giganteus), to demonstrate the range of applications of the Time Local Convex Hull method of home-range construction in analysing the behavioural responses of fauna to habitat change and restoration. Presence/absence studies provide single point locations of an animal, and the Minimum Convex Polygon method provides an invariant estimate of habitat use across the whole home range. However, the Time Local Convex Hull method provides a useful method for assessing movement and behavioural responses of fauna to habitat change and restoration, and the specific habitat requirements for the long-term support of populations. The breadth and multidimensionality of data generated indicates strongly that understanding the complex interactions between animals and their environment is fundamental to their conservation in the face of ever-increasing rates of human-induced habitat change and degradation

Managing medical emergencies in mental health settings using an interprofessional in-situ simulation training programme: a mixed methods evaluation study

BACKGROUND: In the UK, people with severe mental illness die up to 20years earlier than the general population, prompting increased focus on physical health in mental illness. However, training for mental health inpatient staff to meet patients' physical health needs has not received the same attention, with physical health training often being reactive and lacking evidence of effectiveness. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate an interprofessional, in situ, simulation training intervention for managing medical deterioration in mental health settings. Investigating the impact of training on: 1. Participants' knowledge, confidence, and attitudes towards managing medical deterioration; and 2. Incident reporting, as an objective index of incident management. Participants' perceptions of the impact on their practice were qualitatively explored. DESIGN: This evaluation employed a mixed-methods pre-post intervention design. PARTICIPANTS & SETTINGS: Fifty-three healthcare professionals participated including: mental health nurses, psychiatrists, healthcare assistants, and activity co-ordinators from two busy psychiatric triage wards in South London, UK. METHODS: The intervention comprised eight half-day sessions delivered weekly across two wards. Structured surveys assessed participants' knowledge, confidence, and attitudes towards medical deterioration pre and post training. Participants' experience of training was qualitatively captured through post-course surveys and focus groups three months post training. Incident reporting rates for seven-month periods pre and post training were compared. RESULTS: Following training, participants showed significant improvement in knowledge (p<0.001), confidence (p<0.001), and attitudes towards (p<0.02) managing medical deterioration. Incident reporting increased by 33% following training. Participants' reported improved confidence in managing medical deterioration, better understanding of effective communication, improved self-reflection and team working, and an increased sense of responsibility for patients' physical health. CONCLUSIONS: Interprofessional, in situ simulation training for medical deterioration yielded promising outcomes for individuals and teams. Simulation is an under-used training modality in mental health, offering a holistic training approach with the potential to provide educational and clinical benefits while supporting workforce resilience