Adapting and validating the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) for nursing students (HSOPS-NS): A new measure of Patient Safety Climate

Background: Patient Safety Culture and Patient Safety Climate (PSC) are different factors. PSC is the shared perception that is held within a hospital''s area or unit at a specific moment in time. This measure is necessary for designing activities for promoting and improving safety. It must include the perception of all the agents involved, including future nurses throughout their patient safety education. Objectives: The aim was to adapt and validate a new version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS), targeted specifically at nursing students. It provides a new comprehensive and more complete measure of PSC that contributes to improving patient safety. Methods: Data were obtained from 654 undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. PSC was tested using factor analyses and structural equation modeling. In order to facilitate the improvement of PSC, we examined differences in climate strength across different academic groups using the Rwg(j) and ICC measures of inter-rater agreement. Results: Factor analyses confirmed a five-factor solution that explained between 52.45% and 54.75% of the variance. The model was found to have adequate fit ¿ 2 (5) = 14.333, p =.014; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.05. Cronbach''s alphas for PSC were between 0.74 and 0.77. “Teamwork within units” was the highest rated dimension, and “Staffing” the lowest rated. Medium-to-high scores were obtained for PSC. The median of Rwg (j) was high in the five dimensions of the PSC survey, supporting the idea of shared climate perceptions (0.81–0.96) among undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. Conclusions: HSOPS-NS is a useful and versatile tool for measuring the level and strength of PSC. It screens knowledge regarding patient safety in clinical practice placements and compares nursing students’ perceptions of the strength of PSC. Weaknesses perceived in relation to PSC help implement changes in patient safety learning

Quantifying the effect of Tmax extreme events on local adaptation to climate change of maize crop in Andalusia for the 21st century

Extreme events of Tmax can threaten maize production on Andalusia (Ruiz-Ramos et al., 2011). The objective of this work is to attempt a quantification of the effects of Tmax extreme events on the previously identified (Gabaldón et al., 2013) local adaptation strategies to climate change of irrigated maize crop in Andalusia for the first half of the 21st century

Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change for summer crops on Andalusia: evaluation for extreme maximum temperatures

Evaluate a set of agricultural adaptation strategies to cope with climate change impacts, with focus on the consequences of extreme events on the adaptations proposed in the semi-arid environment of Andalusia (Southern Spain)

Regional Genetic Structure in the Aquatic Macrophyte Ruppia cirrhosa Suggests Dispersal by Waterbirds

The evolutionary history of the genus Ruppia has been shaped by hybridization, polyploidisation and vicariance that have resulted in a problematic taxonomy. Recent studies provided insight into species circumscription, organelle takeover by hybridization, and revealed the importance of verifying species identification to avoid distorting effects of mixing different species, when estimating population connectivity. In the present study, we use microsatellite markers to determine population diversity and connectivity patterns in Ruppia cirrhosa including two spatial scales: (1) from the Atlantic Iberian coastline in Portugal to the Siculo-Tunisian Strait in Sicily and (2) within the Iberian Peninsula comprising the Atlantic-Mediterranean transition. The higher diversity in the Mediterranean Sea suggests that populations have had longer persistence there, suggesting a possible origin and/or refugial area for the species. The high genotypic diversities highlight the importance of sexual reproduction for survival and maintenance of populations. Results revealed a regional population structure matching a continent-island model, with strong genetic isolation and low gene flow between populations. This population structure could be maintained by waterbirds, acting as occasional dispersal vectors. This information elucidates ecological strategies of brackish plant species in coastal lagoons, suggesting mechanisms used by this species to colonize new isolated habitats and dominate brackish aquatic macrophyte systems, yet maintaining strong genetic structure suggestive of very low dispersal.Fundacao para a Cincia e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) [PTDC/MAR/119363/2010, BIODIVERSA/0004/2015, UID/Multi/04326/2013]Pew FoundationSENECA FoundationMurcia Government, Spain [11881/PI/09]FCT Investigator Programme-Career Development [IF/00998/2014]Spanish Ministry of Education [AP2008-01209]European Community [00399/2012]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Climate Change Impacts on West African Agriculture: An Integrated Regional Assessment (CIWARA)

The West African Sub-Saharan region (Fig. 1) is home to some 300 million people, with at least 60% engaged in agricultural activity. Climate change is now recognized as a major constraint to development worldwide. While climate change primarily relates to the future, historical trends give evidence of climate change already occurring. Temperature increases of 1 to 1.5◦C have been observed over the last 30 years in West Africa (EPA Ghana, 2001; IPCC, 2007) and there are projections of further warming of the West African region in the foreseeable future (2040–2069; Fig. 2a). The impact of climate change on West African rainfall is less clear. The analysis of historical data over the last 30 years shows that, whereas some zones experienced increased rainfall by as much as 20% to 40%, other locations experienced a decline in annual rainfall by about 15%. Future projections suggest a drier western Sahel (e.g., Senegal) but a wetter eastern Sahel (e.g., Mali, Niger; Fig. 2b). The southern locations of WestAfrica (e.g., Ghana) are projected to experience no change or slight increases in annual rainfall (Hulme et al., 2001). Irrespective of whether these zones will be dryer or not, there is historical evidence of shifts in rainfall patterns with extreme events (i.e., droughts and floods) becoming more frequent (Adiku and Stone, 1995) and it is probable that this trend may persist into the future..

First Assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Marine Recreational Fisheries

This work is the result of an international research effort to determine the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine recreational fishing. Changes were assessed on (1) access to fishing, derived from lockdowns and other mobility restrictions; (2) ecosystems, because of alterations in fishing intensity and human presence; (3) the blue economy, derived from alterations in the investments and expenses of the fishers; and (4) society, in relation to variations in fishers’ health and well-being. For this, a consultation with experts from 16 countries was carried out, as well as an international online survey aimed at recreational fishers, that included specific questions designed to capture fishers’ heterogeneity in relation to behavior, skills and know-how, and vital involvement. Fishers’ participation in the online survey (5,998 recreational fishers in 15 countries) was promoted through a marketing campaign. The sensitivity of the fishers’ clustering procedure, based on the captured heterogeneity, was evaluated by SIMPER analysis and by generalized linear models. Results from the expert consultation highlighted a worldwide reduction in marine recreational fishing activity. Lower human-driven pressures are expected to generate some benefits for marine ecosystems. However, experts also identified high negative impacts on the blue economy, as well as on fisher health and well-being because of the loss of recreational fishing opportunities. Most (98%) of the fishers who participated in the online survey were identified as advanced, showing a much higher degree of commitment to recreational fishing than basic fishers (2%). Advanced fishers were, in general, more pessimistic about the impacts of COVID-19, reporting higher reductions in physical activity and fish consumption, as well as poorer quality of night rest, foul mood, and raised more concerns about their health status. Controlled and safe access to marine recreational fisheries during pandemics would provide benefits to the health and well-being of people and reduce negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for vulnerable social groups.Versión del edito