Impact of Osteoarthritis Self-Efficacy Toolkit on Adults with Osteoarthritis

Over 26 million U.S. citizens have a form of arthritis; osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form. Self-efficacy (SE) is defined as a psychological construct which identifies an individual\u27s confidence when performing a behavior. SE is deemed a vital judge of self-management (SM) in those with OA. The purpose of this evidence-based practice, quality improvement project was to improve SE in OA patients. The identified gap in nursing practice was the lack of SE in OA patients. The project question asked whether a toolkit with information regarding SE in OA can improve SE of management of disease-associated symptoms in adults with OA as evidenced by improved Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) scores pre- to post-program. Concepts and theory used to inform the doctoral project were SE, pain, SM and OA, and Bandura\u27s theory of SE. The sources of evidence were obtained from a variety of peer-reviewed journals related to OA management, and the outcome was measured using the ASES. Thirty-five participants (16 males and 19 females) with a mean age of 62 from a physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic in San Antonio, Texas participated in the project. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders 2015 Handout on Health: OA was used as the SE OA toolkit. Mean scores from pre- and post-program were tabulated and compared to determine the outcome. Results showed improved ASES levels by 11.84%. Implications for nursing practice and positive social change include the enhancement of SE levels, which can improve compliance in SM by use of a toolkit and further as policy implementation for OA patients to improve SE and SM abilities

Investigative Practices for Large Money Laundering Crimes

Reportedly, governments, states departments, analysts and law enforcement state, money laundering has a corrosive effect on a country’s economy. The degree of destruction caused by money laundering interrupts the business flow, runs the risk of financial burdens on banks, and ruins countless countries’ reputation for allowing widespread laundering. Money laundering’s significant consequences are the exposure to the communities; because of the criminal elements individuals are subjected to laundering, i.e., fraud, drug trafficking, and other financial crimes” (Freeman, 2011). It is no surprise that internationally all communities want the battle against money laundering and its use to finance terrorism to become a priority. Therefore, investigators’ efforts focus on the protection of integrity, the international front of financial systems. Money is the lifeblood for many terroristic organizations, which is why money-laundering investigations focus on stopping the flow of funds and availability to terrorists, in hopes of causing difficulty in profiting from the criminal aspects. Surveillance and expertise in financial investigations, are an essential part of an international attempt to combat money laundering and run interference to financing terrorism (Freeman, 2011). The strategy is to reassert commitments to secure financial systems from all criminals and financiers of terror. This investigative report will focus on money laundering and the various illegal forms it takes. In addition it will identify the techniques and the many countermeasures used to detect and prosecute those who manipulate currency in an effort to help terroristic causes. Existing international standards and vital international players are assisting in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. Combating money laundering will take a team effort (Freeman, 2011)

Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia

Through estimations of above- and below-ground standing biomass, annual biomass increment, fine root production and turnover, litterfall, canopy respiration and total soil CO2 efflux, a carbon balance on seasonal and yearly time-scales is developed for a Eucalypt open-forest savanna in northern Australia. This carbon balance is compared to estimates of carbon fluxes derived from eddy covariance measurements conducted at the same site. The total carbon (C) stock of the savanna was 204±53 ton C ha -1, with approximately 84% below-ground and 16% above-ground. Soil organic carbon content (0-1 m) was 151±33 ton C ha-1, accounting for about 74% of the total carbon content in the ecosystem. Vegetation biomass was 53±20 ton C ha-1, 39% of which was found in the root component and 61% in above-ground components (trees, shrubs, grasses). Annual gross primary production was 20.8 ton C ha-1, of which 27% occurred in above-ground components and 73% below-ground components. Net primary production was 11 ton C ha-1 year-1, of which 8.0 ton C ha-1 (73%) was contributed by below-ground net primary production and 3.0 ton C ha-1 (27%) by above-ground net primary production. Annual soil carbon efflux was 14.3 ton C ha-1 year -1. Approximately three-quarters of the carbon flux (above-ground, below-ground and total ecosystem) occur during the 5-6 months of the wet season. This savanna site is a carbon sink during the wet season, but becomes a weak source during the dry season. Annual net ecosystem production was 3.8 ton C ha-1 year-1

Seasonal patterns of fine-root productivity and turnover in a tropical savanna of northern Australia

Fine roots and their turnover represent a dynamic aspect of below-ground biomass (BGB) and nutrient capital in forest ecosystems, and account for a significant fraction of net primary productivity (NPP) (Cuevas 1995, Vogt et al. 1990). On a weight basis, coarse roots contribute more to total ecosystem biomass than fine roots, but they account for only a small portion of annual root production (Eamus et al. 2002). Despite the fact that fine roots may compose less than 2% of total ecosystem biomass, they may contribute up to 40% of total ecosystem production (Vogt et al. 1990). Therefore, estimates of root production, like estimates of root biomass, should differentiate between coarse- and fine-root production

Soil organic carbon content at a range of north Australian tropical savannas with contrasting site histories

Soils play an important role in the global carbon cycle, and can be major source or sink of CO2 depending upon land use, vegetation type and soil management practices. Natural and human impact on soil carbon concentration and storage is poorly understood in native north Australian savanna, yet this represents the largest carbon store in the ecosystem. To gain understanding of possible management impacts on this carbon pool, soil organic carbon (SOC) of the top 1m of red earth sands and sandy loams common in the region was sampled at 5 sites with different vegetation cover and site history (fire regime and tree removal). SOC was high when compared to other published values for savannas and was more comparable with dry-deciduous tropical forests. Sites sampled in this study represent high rainfall savannas of northern Australia (> 1700 mm annual rainfall) that feature frequent burning (2 in 3 years or more frequent) and a cycle of annual re-growth of tall C4 grasses that dominate the savanna understorey. These factors may be responsible for the higher than expected SOC levels of the surface soils, despite high respiration rates. Medium term fire exclusion (15-20 years) at one of the sampled sites (Wildlife Park) dramatically reduced the grassy biomass of the understorey. This site had lower SOC levels when compared to the grass dominated and frequently burnt sites, which may be due to a reduction in detrital input to surface (0-30 cm) soil carbon pools. Exclusion of trees also had a significant impact on both the total amount and distribution of soil organic carbon, with tree removal reducing observed SOC at depth (100 cm). Soil carbon content was higher in the wet season than that in the dry season, but this difference was not statistically significant. Our results indicated that annual cycle of grass growth and wildfire resulted in small carbon accumulation in the upper region of the soil, and removal of woody plants resulted in significant carbon losses to recalcitrant, deep soil horizons greater than 80 cm depth. © Springer 2005

Monsoonal influences on evapotranspiration of savanna vegetation of northern Australia

Data from savannas of northern Australia are presented for net radiation, latent and sensible heat, ecosystem surface conductance (Gs) and stand water use for sites covering a latitudinal range of 5° or 700 km. Measurements were made at three locations of increasing distance from the northern coastline and represent high- (1,750 mm), medium- (890 mm) and low- (520 mm) rainfall sites. This rainfall gradient arises from the weakened monsoonal influence with distance inland. Data were coupled to seasonal estimates of leaf area index (LAI) for the tree and understorey strata. All parameters were measured at the seasonal extremes of late wet and dry seasons. During the wet season, daily rates of evapotranspiration were 3.1-3.6 mm day-1 and were similar for all sites along the rainfall gradient and did not reflect site differences in annual rainfall. During the dry season, site differences were very apparent with evapotranspiration 2-18 times lower than wet season rates, the seasonal differences increasing with distance from coast and reduced annual rainfall. Due to low overstorey LAI, more than 80% of water vapour flux was attributed to the understorey. Seasonal differences in evapotranspiration were mostly due to reductions in understorey leaf area during the dry season. Water use of individual trees did not differ between the wet and dry seasons at any of the sites and stand water use was a simple function of tree density. Gs declined markedly during the dry season at all sites, and we conclude that the savanna water (and carbon) balance is largely determined by Gs and its response to atmospheric and soil water content and by seasonal adjustments to canopy leaf area

Daily and seasonal patterns of carbon and water fluxes above a north Australian savanna

Daily and seasonal fluxes of carbon dioxide and water vapor above a north Australian savanna were recorded over a complete dry season-wet season annual cycle using the eddy covariance technique. Wet season rates of photosynthesis and transpiration were larger than those measured in the dry season and were dominated by the presence of the grassy understory. As the dry season progressed and the grass understory died, ecosystem rates of assimilation and water vapor flux declined substantially. By the end of the dry season, canopy assimilation and evapotranspiration rates were 20-25% of wet season values. Assimilation was light saturated in the dry season but not in the wet season. Stomatal control of transpiration increased between the wet and dry season. This was revealed by the decline in the slope of E with increasing leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (D) between wet and dry seasons, and also by the significant decrease in the ratio of boundary to canopy conductance observed between the wet and dry seasons. A simple pan-tropical modeling of leaf area index or wet season canopy CO2 flux was undertaken. It was shown that with readily available data for foliar N content and the ratio of rainfall to potential evaporation, leaf index and wet season canopy CO2 flux can be successfully estimated for a number of tropical ecosystems, including north Australian savannas

Root biomass and root fractal analyses of an open Eucalyptus forest in a savanna of north Australia

Below-ground biomass of a Eucalyptus savanna forest was estimated following trenching to depths of 2 m around 16 mature trees in a tropical savanna of north Australia. Correlations among below-ground and various components of above-ground biomass were also investigated. In addition, root morphology was investigated by fractal analyses and a determination of an index of shallow-rootedness was undertaken. Total root biomass was 38.4 t ha-1, including 1 t ha-1 of fine roots. About 77-90% of total root biomass was found in the upper 0.5 m of soil. While fine-root biomass density was approximately constant (0.1 kg m-3) in the top soil, irrespective of distance from a tree stem, coarse-root biomass showed large variation with distance from the tree stem. Significant positive correlations among total root biomass, total above-ground biomass, diameter at breast height, leaf biomass and leaf area were obtained. It is likely that total root biomass can be reasonably accurately estimated from above-ground biomass and fine-root biomass from tree leaf area. We present equations that allow the prediction of below-ground biomass from above-ground measures of tree size. Root morphology of two evergreen and two deciduous species was compared by the use of three parameters. These were the fractal dimension (d), which describes root system complexity; a proportionality factor (a), which is the ratio of the cross-sectional area before and after branching; and two indices of shallow-rootedness (ISR). Roots were found to be amenable to fractal analyses. The proportionality factor was independent of root diameter (Dr) at any branching level in all tree species examined, indicating that branching patterns were similar across all root sizes. The fractal dimension (d) ranged from 1.15 to 1.36, indicating a relatively simple root structure. Mean d was significantly different between E. tetrodonta (evergreen) and T. ferdinandiana (deciduous); however, no significant differences were found among other pairs of species. Terminalia ferdinandiana had the highest ISR, while Planchonia careya (deciduous) had the lowest. In addition, differences in ISR between P careya and the other three species were significant, but not significant among E. miniata, E. tetrodonta and T. ferdinandiana. There were clear relationships among above-ground tree stem diameter at breast height, stem base diameter, and horizontal and vertical proximal root diameter. By the use of mean values of and stem diameter, we estimated the total cross-sectional area of root and root diameter-class distribution for each species studied