Diversity has stronger top-down than bottom-up effects on decomposition

The flow of energy and nutrients between trophic levels is affected by both the trophic structure of food webs and the diversity of species within trophic levels. However, the combined effects of trophic structure and diversity on trophic transfer remain largely unknown. Here we ask whether changes in consumer diversity have the same effect as changes in resource diversity on rates of resource consumption. We address this question by focusing on consumer-resource dynamics for the ecologically important process of decomposition. This study compares the top-down effect of consumer (detritivore) diversity on the consumption of dead organic matter (decomposition) with the bottom-up effect of resource (detrital) diversity, based on a compilation of 90 observations reported in 28 studies. We did not detect effects of either detrital or consumer diversity on measures of detrital standing stock, and effects on consumer standing stock were equivocal. However, our meta-analysis indicates that reductions in detritivore diversity result in significant reductions in the rate of decomposition. Detrital diversity has both positive and negative effects on decomposition, with no overall trend. This difference between top-down and bottom-up effects of diversity is robust to different effect size metrics and could not be explained by differences in experimental systems or designs between detritivore and detrital manipulations. Our finding that resource diversity has no net effect on consumption in brown\u27\u27 (detritus-consumer) food webs contrasts with previous. ndings from green\u27\u27 (plant-herbivore) food webs and suggests that effects of plant diversity on consumption may fundamentally change after plant death

If I Only Had An Automobile

Illustration of woman in a hat holding a small steering wheel.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/2527/thumbnail.jp

The effect of Liver Transplantation on the quality of life of the recipient's main caregiver - a systematic review

Introduction: Liver transplantation (LT) is a transformative, life-saving procedure with life-long sequale for patients and their caregivers. The impact of LT on the patient's main caregiver can be underestimated. We carried out a systematic review of the impact of LT on the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) of LT patients’ main caregivers. Methods: We searched 13 medical databases from 1996 to 2015. We included studies with HRQL data on caregivers of patients following LT then quality assessed and narratively synthesized the findings from these studies. Results: Of 7076 initial hits, only five studies fell within the scope of this study. In general, they showed caregiver burden persisted in the early period following LT. One study showed improvements, however the other four showed caregiver's levels of stress, anxiety and depression, remained similar or got worse post-LT and remained above that of the normal population. It was suggested that HRQL of the patient impacted on the caregiver and vice versa and may be linked to patient outcomes. No data was available investigating which groups were at particular risk of low HRQL following LT or if any interventions could improve this. Conclusion: The current information about LT caregivers’ needs and factors that impact on their HRQL are not adequately defined. Large studies are needed to examine the effects of LT on the patients’ family and caregivers in order to understand the importance of caregiver support to maximise outcomes of LT for the patient and their caregivers

Factors Affecting Patient and Physician Engagement in Remote Health Care for Heart Failure: Systematic Review.

BackgroundAdult chronic heart failure mainly affects an elderly population with multiple comorbidities that often require frequent medical visits to prevent poor health outcomes. However, the heart failure disease process reduces their independence by reducing mobility, exercise tolerance, and cognitive decline. Remote care technologies can bridge the gap in care for these patients by allowing them to be followed up within the comfort of their home and encourage their self-care. However, patients, carers, and health care professionals need to engage with the technology for it to be useful.ObjectiveThis systematic review explores qualitative primary studies of remote care technologies used in heart failure, to determine the factors that affect user engagement with the technology. This is explored from the perspective of patients, carers, and health care professionals.MethodsRelevant studies published between January 1, 1990, and September 19, 2020, were identified from EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. These studies were then synthesized using thematic analysis. Relevant user experiences with remote care were extracted using line-by-line coding. These codes were summarized into secondary codes and core concepts, which were further merged into overarching themes that encapsulate user experience with remote care.ResultsThe review included 47 studies, which led to the generation of 5 overarching themes that affect engagement: (1) "Convenience" relates to time saved by the intervention; (2) "Clinical Care" relates to perceived quality of care and health outcomes; (3) "Communication" involves feedback and interaction between patients, staff, and carers; (4) "Education" concerns the tailored information provided; and (5) "Ease of Use" relates to accessibility and technical barriers to engagement. Each theme was applied to each user base of patient, carer, and health care professional in a different manner.ConclusionsThe 5 themes identified highlight aspects of remote care that facilitate engagement, and should be considered in both future design and trials evaluating these technologies

Early Cenozoic denudation of central west Britain in response to transient and permanent uplift above a mantle plume

Upwelling mantle plumes beneath continental crust are predicted to produce difficult to quantify, modest uplift and denudation. The contribution of permanent and transient components to the uplift is also difficult to distinguish. A pulse of denudation in Britain in the Early Paleogene has been linked, although with some controversy, with the arrival of the proto-Iceland mantle plume. In this contribution we show that combining apatite and zircon (U-Th-Sm)/He and apatite fission track analyses from central west Britain with numerical modeling clearly identifies a pulse of early Cenozoic denudation. The data indicate that rock uplift and denudation were centered on the northern East Irish Sea Basin and 1.0–2.4 km of rocks were removed during the latest Cretaceous-early Paleogene. Uplift and erosion appears to have started a few million years before the earliest magmatism in the region. The regional denudation pattern mirrors the distribution of low-density magmatic rocks that has been imaged in the deep crust. However, the injection of the underplating melt is not enough to account for the total denudation. An additional regional uplift of at least 300 m is required, which is consistent with a transient thermal effect from the hot mantle plume. The rapid exhumation event ceased by ~40 Ma and the data do not require significant Neogene exhumation

Mercury dynamics in a San Francisco estuary tidal wetland : assessing dynamics using in situ measurements

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Estuaries and Coasts 35 (2012): 1036-1048, doi:10.1007/s12237-012-9501-3.We used high-resolution in situ measurements of turbidity and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) to quantitatively estimate the tidally driven exchange of mercury (Hg) between the waters of the San Francisco estuary and Browns Island, a tidal wetland. Turbidity and FDOM—representative of particle-associated and filter-passing Hg, respectively—together predicted 94 % of the observed variability in measured total mercury concentration in unfiltered water samples (UTHg) collected during a single tidal cycle in spring, fall, and winter, 2005–2006. Continuous in situ turbidity and FDOM data spanning at least a full spring-neap period were used to generate UTHg concentration time series using this relationship, and then combined with water discharge measurements to calculate Hg fluxes in each season. Wetlands are generally considered to be sinks for sediment and associated mercury. However, during the three periods of monitoring, Browns Island wetland did not appreciably accumulate Hg. Instead, gradual tidally driven export of UTHg from the wetland offset the large episodic on-island fluxes associated with high wind events. Exports were highest during large spring tides, when ebbing waters relatively enriched in FDOM, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and filter-passing mercury drained from the marsh into the open waters of the estuary. On-island flux of UTHg, which was largely particle-associated, was highest during strong winds coincident with flood tides. Our results demonstrate that processes driving UTHg fluxes in tidal wetlands encompass both the dissolved and particulate phases and multiple timescales, necessitating longer term monitoring to adequately quantify fluxes.This work was supported by funding from the California Bay Delta Authority Ecosystem Restoration and Drinking Water Programs (grant ERP-00- G01) and matching funds from the United States Geological Survey Cooperative Research Program

Exploring assessment of medical students\u27 competencies in pain medicine - A review

Introduction: Considering the continuing high prevalence and public health burden of pain, it is critical that medical students are equipped with competencies in the field of pain medicine. Robust assessment of student expertise is integral for effective implementation of competency-based medical education. Objective: The aim of this review was to describe the literature regarding methods for assessing pain medicine competencies in medical students. Method: PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, ERIC, and Google Scholar, and BEME data bases were searched for empirical studies primarily focusing on assessment of any domain of pain medicine competencies in medical students published between January 1997 and December 2016. Results: A total of 41 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most assessments were performed for low-stakes summative purposes and did not reflect contemporary theories of assessment. Assessments were predominantly undertaken using written tests or clinical simulation methods. The most common pain medicine education topics assessed were pain pharmacology and the management of cancer and low-back pain. Most studies focussed on assessment of cognitive levels of learning as opposed to more challenging domains of demonstrating skills and attitudes or developing and implementing pain management plans. Conclusion: This review highlights the need for more robust assessment tools that effectively measure the abilities of medical students to integrate pain-related competencies into clinical practice. A Pain Medicine Assessment Framework has been developed to encourage systematic planning of pain medicine assessment at medical schools internationally and to promote continuous multidimensional assessments in a variety of clinical contexts based on well-defined pain medicine competencies

Validation of Multisource Feedback in Assessing Medical Performance: A Systematic Review

Introduction Over the past ten years, a number of systematic reviews have evaluated the validity of multisource feedback (MSF) to assess and quality assure medical practice. The purpose of this study is to synthesise the results from existing reviews to provide a holistic overview of the validity evidence. Methods This review identified eight systematic reviews evaluating the validity of MSF published between January 2006 and October 2016. Using a standardised data extraction form, two independent reviewers extracted study characteristics. A framework of validation developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) was used to appraise the validity evidence within each systematic review. Results In terms of validity evidence, each of the eight reviews demonstrated evidence across at least one domain of the APA validity framework. Evidence of assessment validity within the domains of ‘internal structure’ and ‘relationship to other variables’ has been well established. However, the domains of content validity (i.e. ensuring MSF tools measure what they are intended to measure); consequential validity (i.e. evidence of the intended or unintended consequences MSF assessments may have on participants or wider society) and response process validity (i.e. the process of standardisation and quality control in the delivery and completion of assessments) remain limited. Discussion Evidence for the validity of MSF has, across a number of domains, been well-established. However, the size and quality of the existing evidence remains variable. In order to determine the extent to which MSF is considered a valid instrument to assess medical performance, future research is required to determine: 1) how best to design and deliver MSF assessments that address the identified limitations of existing tools, and 2) how to ensure involvement within MSF supports positive changes in practice. Such research is integral if MSF is to continue to inform medical performance and subsequent improvements in the quality and safety of patient care