Bayesian salamanders: analysing the demography of an underground population of the European plethodontid <i>Speleomantes strinatii</i> with state-space modelling

&lt;b&gt;Background&lt;/b&gt;: It has been suggested that Plethodontid salamanders are excellent candidates for indicating ecosystem health. However, detailed, long-term data sets of their populations are rare, limiting our understanding of the demographic processes underlying their population fluctuations. Here we present a demographic analysis based on a 1996 - 2008 data set on an underground population of Speleomantes strinatii (Aellen) in NW Italy. We utilised a Bayesian state-space approach allowing us to parameterise a stage-structured Lefkovitch model. We used all the available population data from annual temporary removal experiments to provide us with the baseline data on the numbers of juveniles, subadults and adult males and females present at any given time. &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;: Sampling the posterior chains of the converged state-space model gives us the likelihood distributions of the state-specific demographic rates and the associated uncertainty of these estimates. Analysing the resulting parameterised Lefkovitch matrices shows that the population growth is very close to 1, and that at population equilibrium we expect half of the individuals present to be adults of reproductive age which is what we also observe in the data. Elasticity analysis shows that adult survival is the key determinant for population growth. &lt;b&gt;Conclusion&lt;/b&gt;: This analysis demonstrates how an understanding of population demography can be gained from structured population data even in a case where following marked individuals over their whole lifespan is not practical

A search for double beta decays of tin isotopes with enhanced sensitivity

A search for the various double beta decay modes of 124Sn and 112Sn has been performed on 75 kg.days of data. New half-life limits for excited states in 124Sn have been obtained including a lower limit for the decay into the first excited 2+ state of 124Te of T_half > 0.87e20 yrs (90% CL) and into the first excited 0+ state of T_half > 1.08e20 yrs (90% CL). Ground state and excited state transitions of 112Sn have also been experimentally explored. A limit for the 2 neutrino double electron capture of T_half > 1.8e19 yrs (90% CL) is obtained. The non-observation of de-excitation gammas from the 0+ at 1888.5keV results in a lower half-life limit on the 0 neutrino double electron capture decay of 112Sn of T_half > 0.8e19 yrs (90% CL), despite a possible resonant enhancement of the decay rate due to degenerated states.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, updated analysis and tex

The effects of an experimental programme to support students’ autonomy on the overt behaviours of physical education teachers

Although the benefits of autonomy supportive behaviours are now well established in the literature, very few studies have attempted to train teachers to offer a greater autonomy support to their students. In fact, none of these studies has been carried out in physical education (PE). The purpose of this study is to test the effects of an autonomy-supportive training on overt behaviours of teaching among PE teachers. The experimental group included two PE teachers who were first educated on the benefits of an autonomy supportive style and then followed an individualised guidance programme during the 8 lessons of a teaching cycle. Their behaviours were observed and rated along 3 categories (i.e., autonomy supportive, neutral and controlling) and were subsequently compared to those of three teachers who formed the control condition. The results showed that teachers in the experimental group used more autonomy supportive and neutral behaviours than those in the control group, but no difference emerged in relation to controlling behaviours. We discuss the implications for schools of our findings

Developing clinical leadership: a co-operative inquiry approach to evaluate the benefits of an action learning set with nursing consultants in England.

Background: As three new Consultant nurses joined two established consultants on the staff of one District General Hospital in the south of England, it was believed that an action learning set (ALS) would offer peer support to enable them to succeed. The aim is to evaluate the lessons learned from the ALS focusing on their leadership. Methodology: Co-operative inquiry is a way of researching with rather than on people, of working with those who have similar interests and who wish to collectively understand their world and create new ways of exploring it. This approach helps also to learn how to change and enhance our working practices. With all active subjects fully involved as co-researchers in all research decisions, three cycles were completed of four phases of discussion, reflection, analysis and action. The process is planned to last for 18 months. Data were analysed thematically. Findings: Four themes began to emerge from the data: development of scholarship, responding to changing need, extending networks and empowerment in role. Whilst they had grown considerably in confidence in their leadership role, they did not feel that collectively they fully embraced the four dimensions prescribed by the Department of Health for the role. Nevertheless, the co-operative inquiry helped them realise how much they had gained from their collective learning in the group (ALS) and how, from the group they feel empowered to lead. Their reflections helped them value the importance of the role for the organisation, their credibility within the organisation and were keen to retain their peer support to ensure its sustainability. Conclusion: The outcomes of the co-operative inquiry included an enhanced understanding of the importance of openness and trust of each other and a willingness to share and learn from each other in a respectful and confidential environment with a receptiveness to change. References: Department of Health (1999) Making a Difference. Strengthening the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Contribution to Health and Healthcare. Department of Health, London. Drennan V. and Goodman C. (2011) Sustaining innovation in the healthcare workforce: A case study of community nurse consultant posts in England. BMC Health Services Research, 11:200 accessed from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/11/200 on 23.1.15 Heron J. and Reason P. (2001) The Practice of Co-operative Inquiry: Research ‘with’ rather than ‘on’ People. In: Reason P. & Bradbury H. (2001) (Editors) Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry & Practice. Chapter 16, Sage Publications, London Learning objectives: The learner will be able to : Understand the importance of action learning sets in supporting and empowering self and others in their clinical leadership. Recognise the value of a co-operative inquiry methodology to learn collaboratively from peers as clinical leaders to enhance their practice. Purpose of the presentation; The purpose of the presentation is to share the lessons learned from using a co-operative inquiry methodology to understand collaboratively and more fully the lessons learned from a year’s Action Learning Set focused on the leadership development for five non-medical consultants and nursing professor. Target audience for the presentation: The target audience is anticipated to be educationalists, senior nurses and nurse researchers. Key Words: Nurse leadership, co-operative inquiry, nurse consultant

Are orchid bees useful indicators of the impacts of human disturbance?

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions are threatened by human disturbance, and tropical forests are one the most vulnerable habitats. Monitoring the impacts of disturbance and the success of conservation projects is crucial, and to do this effectively it is important to identify suitable measures that are sensitive to ecosystem disturbance. Orchid bees (Euglossini) are a specialist group with mutualistic relationships with many plant species and can fly long distances, making them important pollinators of widely dispersed plant species. A loss of specialist pollinators such as these could have severe consequences for the plants that rely on their services. We therefore aimed to answer the following question: are orchid bees useful indicators of the impacts of human disturbance? If so, what measures of orchid bee diversity are most sensitive? And do orchid bees provide any indication of changes in pollination services along a disturbance gradient? Orchid bees were collected from 18 sites across a gradient of disturbance in a tropical forest region in southeast Peru. Alpha diversity across the gradient was compared using Hills numbers. Beta diversity was assessed using community composition, species contributions to beta diversity, beta diversity partitioning and novel measures of redundancy and representativeness. The potential pollination services available at each site were measured using artificial flowers and counts of pollinator visits. Alpha diversity of orchid bees showed low sensitivity to disturbance. Beta diversity measures were more informative, with disturbed sites found to be highly redundant in the ecosystem compared to the less disturbed sites. However, the most sensitive measure across the gradient was abundance – there was a significant decrease in the number of bees caught as disturbance increased, with likely consequences for pollination services. These results suggest that orchid bees may be useful indicators of the impacts of human disturbance, but alpha diversity is a poor metric for this purpose. In order to understand how human disturbance is affecting biodiversity, multiple diversity indices should be considered, and in the case of orchid bees, redundancy and abundance could be useful for detecting sensitive responses to forest disturbance. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Clinical leadership: evaluating the benefits of action learning using co-operative inquiry

Background: Developing clinical leadership, to ensure the culture of care is strengthened, is the thrust of the ‘leading with compassion’ campaign by the English National Health Service (NHS) (NHS England, 2014). Senior clinicians are charged with invigorating compassionate leadership yet the roles of nurse and therapist consultants the most senior clinical role in the UK healthcare system, are often solitary ones, in which they are expected to embrace a myriad of responsibilities and where there continues to be ambiguity about their role and scope of practice. In such exposed positions in any healthcare system from a global perspective, consultant nurses and therapists are vulnerable to the vagaries of the demands made upon them and the need to strive ever harder to improve the quality of services and patient care (McIntosh & Tolson 2008). Mentorship can be seen as a way of supporting clinicians, even on a global exchange system but a system (Buckner et al 2015) where the consultants can support themselves through action learning (McGill & Beaty 2001) reinforces their commitment to each other and to the potential benefit of their organisation. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of an action learning set (ALS) to enhance clinical leadership and extend their scope and confidence more strategically Methodology: Using an approach advocated by Heron & Reason (2001), co-operative inquiry is a way of researching with rather than on people, of working with those who have similar interests and who wish to collectively understand their world and create new ways of exploring it. This approach helps also to learn how to change and enhance our working practices. With all active subjects fully involved as co-researchers in all research decisions, three cycles have been completed of four phases of discussion of reflection, analysis and action. The process is planned to last for 18 months. Data were analysed thematically. Findings: Four themes began to emerge from the data: development of scholarship, responding to changing need, extending networks and empowerment in role. Whilst the consultants had grown considerably in confidence in their leadership role, they did not feel that collectively they fully embraced the four dimensions prescribed by the Department of Health for the role. Nevertheless, the co-operative inquiry helped them realise how much they had gained from their collective learning in the group (ALS) and how, from the group they feel empowered to lead. The ALS has enabled them to remain focused and reflect critically both personally and within the group. Their reflections helped them value the importance of the role for the organisation, their credibility within the organisation and they have been keen to retain their peer support to ensure its sustainability. Conclusion: Whilst their motivation to ‘make a difference’ remains palpable, the outcomes of the co-operative inquiry included an enhanced understanding of the importance of openness and trust of each other and a willingness to share and learn from each other in a respectful and confidential environment with a receptiveness to change. They believe that they are more aware of their influence on others and feel more able to challenge their medical colleagues with greater conviction and now have a recognised voice within the organisation. Clinical relevance: Time away from their clinical responsibilities to consider improvement of issues challenging these autonomous practitioners has proved invaluable to the improvement of their specialist services and enhanced the confidence of those new to role. Additionally, this collaboration has improved communication across the organisation, enhanced their strategic leadership capability and given confidence to disseminate externally. Key words: leadership, action learning, co-operative inquiry, Words: 569 3 Bullet points as to how your work contributes to knowledge development in the selected theme: • The value of action learning sets for consultant therapists using a co-operative inquiry approach can lead to further empower individuals to address the complex problems in practice and lead to change. • Co-operative inquiry has been a powerful tool to engage these senior consultants in a number of cycles of reflection and evaluation, researching with each other and experiencing first hand the value of the ALS to each of them individually. • Action learning sets can help senior clinicians, early on in their leadership role, take ownership of their complex problems and commit to each other by supporting their development of creative thinking and problem solving. References: Bell M., Coen E., Coyne-Nevin A., Egenton R., Ellis A. and Moran L. (2007) Experience of an action learning set. Practice Development in Health Care 6(4) 232-241. Buckner, E.B., Anderson D.J., Garzon, N., Hafsteinsdottir, T.B., Lai, C. and Roshan, R. (2014) Perspectives on global nursing leadership: international experiences from the field. International Nursing Review, 61, 463-471. Heron, J. & Reason, P. (2001) The Practice of Co-operative Inquiry: Research ‘with’ rather than ‘on’ People. In Reason, P. & Bradbury, H. (editor) Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry & Practice, pp179 -188. Sage, London Jackson C. and Thurgate C. (2011) Action learning: maximising learning in the workplace. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 5(9), 454-456. McGill I. And Beaty L. (2001) Action Learning: A Guide for Professional, Management and Educational Development (2nd edition). London, Kogan Page. McIntosh J. and Tolson D. (2008) Leadership as part of the nurse consultant role; banging the drum for patient care. Journal of Clinical Nursing 18, 219-227. NHS England (2014) Building and Strengthening Leadership: Leading with Compassion. NHS England, Accessed at https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/london-nursing-accessible.pdf on 22.1.16 Young S., Nixon E., Hinge D., McFadyen J., Wright V., Lambert P., Pilkington C. and Newsome C. (2009) Action learning: a tool for the development of strategic skills for Nurse Consultants? Journal of Nursing Management, 18, 105-110

Compost Carryover: Nitrogen Phosphorous and FT-IR Analysis of Soil Organic Matter

Compost plays a central role in organic soil fertility plans but is bulky and costly to apply. Determining compost carryover is therefore important for cost-effective soil fertility planning. This study investigated two aspects of nutritive carryover [nitrogen and phosphorus (P)], and an indicator of non-nutritive carryover [soil organic matter (SOM)] to determine the residual effect of a one-time compost application applied at four rates in a corn-squash rotation. Crop yield was measured as an integrated carryover indicator of nutritive and non-nutritive effects. Functional groups of compost and SOM were investigated using FT-IR spectroscopy and soil organic carbon (SOC). While year to year variability was great, compost had a persistent positive effect on crop yields, evident 3 years after application with no reduction in magnitude over time. Soil nitrate was low, and additions of compost at any rate generally did not increase levels beyond the year of application, with the exception of year four. Olsen P was also low, yet was higher in amended soils than in non-amended soils 3 years after application. Pronounced polysaccharide peaks, evident in compost spectra and absent in control soil, were apparent in compost-amended soils 3 years after compost treatment and SOC was greater 2 years afterwards. Compost carryover was most pronounced in year four following the incorporation of a nitrogen-fixing cover crop. These results show that compost can influence nutritive and non-nutritive soil properties many years after incorporation, thereby reinforcing the importance of including compost in organic fertility plans despite the unpredictability of year-to-year response

An Investigation on Cooling of CZT Co-Planar Grid Detectors

The effect of moderate cooling on CdZnTe semiconductor detectors has been studied for the COBRA experiment. Improvements in energy resolution and low energy threshold were observed and quantified as a function of temperature. Leakage currents are found to contribute typically $\sim$5 keV to the widths of photopeaks.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research,