Landscape ecological Decision & Evaluation Support System LEDESS : users guide

To understand the basic strategies in nature development, it is necessary to examine existing plans and schemes in order to reveal and clarify underlying concepts. Two questions are crucial here: what is the ecological objective, and what is the spatial strategy? The first question is related to the level of the ecosystem. With different types of nature management, different ecosystems can develop at the same site. Nature policy decides which system is to be developed. The second question is related to the landscape as a whole, the spatial pattern of ecosystems. It is taken into account that other activities, such as farming, recreation, water supply and quarrying, also require space. Nature development cannot be considered independently from those activities. Therefore, a spatial strategy is required to combine all land use functions. To find an optimal balance between the two questions, different nature development scenarios are developed

Uniform electron gases: III. Low-density gases on three-dimensional spheres

By combining variational Monte Carlo (VMC) and complete-basis-set limit Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations, we have obtained near-exact correlation energies for low-density same-spin electrons on a three-dimensional sphere (3-sphere), i.e.~the surface of a four-dimensional ball. In the VMC calculations, we compare the efficacies of two types of one-electron basis functions for these strongly correlated systems, and analyze the energy convergence with respect to the quality of the Jastrow factor. The HF calculations employ spherical Gaussian functions (SGFs) which are the curved-space analogs of cartesian Gaussian functions. At low densities, the electrons become relatively localized into Wigner crystals, and the natural SGF centers are found by solving the Thomson problem (i.e. the minimum-energy arrangement of $n$ point charges) on the 3-sphere for various values of $n$. We have found 11 special values of $n$ whose Thomson sites are equivalent. Three of these are the vertices of four-dimensional Platonic solids --- the hyper-tetrahedron ($n=5$), the hyper-octahedron ($n=8$) and the 24-cell ($n=24$) --- and a fourth is a highly symmetric structure ($n=13$) which has not previously been reported. By calculating the harmonic frequencies of the electrons around their equilibrium positions, we also find the first-order vibrational corrections to the Thomson energy.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the Journal of Chemical Physic

Attitudes toward Abortion: A Comparative Analysis of Correlates for 1973 and 1975

This paper contains an analysis of both the level of support for abortion and the correlates of such support for both 1973 and 1975, as indicated by National Opinion Research Center data. In comparison to previous research, which focused primarily on bivariate analyses of demographic variables, we examine the role of demographic and other variables (such as work status, unemployment history, receipt of government aid, and belief in an afterlife) at both the bivariate and multivariate levels of analysis. The result indicates an abatement of the previously increasing level of support; this datum plus the increase in persons responding don\u27t know suggest the occurrence of a reappraisal of support for abortion. The bivariate analysis indicates that support is highest among those who: are white, never married, or higher socioeconomic status, with no religious affiliation, seldom attend church, live in the Northeast or West, or have lower exposure to children. Multivariate analysis indicates that religion and socioeconomic status are the most salient variables. A comparison between the 1973 and 1975 data indicate reduced support among men and increased support among women, reduced support among the never married, and increased support among blacks, Catholics, Southerners, and those with less than a high school education

Invasive oysters as new hosts for native shell-boring polychaetes: Using historical shell collections and recent field data to investigate parasite spillback in native mussels in the Dutch Wadden Sea

Biological invasions can have manifold effects on native biota, including impacts on species interactions in invaded ecosystems. Among those are effects on parasite-host interactions, for example in cases where invaders serve as a new host for native parasites, leading to an amplification of the parasite population which may ultimately result in increased infection levels in the original native hosts (parasite spillback). In this study, we investigated the potential spillback of the native shell-boring polychaete Polydora ciliata from invasive Pacific oysters (Crassostrea (Magallana) gigas) to native mussels (Mytilus edulis) in the Dutch Wadden Sea. A field survey in the intertidal revealed that the majority of P. ciliata can nowadays be found in the shells of live but also dead Pacific oysters and much less in shells of other potential host species: mussels and periwinkles (Littorina littorea). Using a unique historical shell collection based on long-term sampling programmes in the intertidal and subtidal of the western Dutch Wadden Sea, we compared P. ciliata infections in mussels before and after the invasion of the Pacific oyster by means of x-ray scans. Both for the intertidal and subtidal, we did not detect differences in prevalence of P. ciliata in mussels between pre- and post-invasion periods. This suggests that the invasion of the Pacific oyster may not have caused a strong spillback to mussels regarding P. ciliata and thus the invasion probably had little indirect infection-mediated effects on the condition and fitness of native mussels. Instead, the acquisition of native P. ciliata by the invasive oysters suggests that they may themselves be affected by the new infections and this may warrant further research

Конференции

Background Polypharmacy poses threats to patients’ health. The Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing (STRIP) is a drug optimization process for conducting medication reviews in primary care. To effectively and efficiently incorporate this method into daily practice, the STRIP Assistant—a decision support system that aims to assist physicians with the pharmacotherapeutic analysis of patients’ medical records—has been developed. It generates context-specific advice based on clinical guidelines. Objective The aim of this study was to validate the STRIP Assistant’s usability as a tool for physicians to optimize medical records for polypharmacy patients. Methods In an online experiment, 42 physicians were asked to optimize medical records for two comparable polypharmacy patients, one in their usual manner and one using the STRIP Assistant. Changes in effectiveness were measured by comparing respondents’ optimized medicine prescriptions with medication prepared by an expert panel of two geriatrician-pharmacologists. Efficiency was operationalized by recording the time the respondents took to optimize the two cases. User satisfaction was measured with the System Usability Scale (SUS). Independent and paired t tests were used for analysis. Results Medication optimization significantly improved with the STRIP Assistant. Appropriate decisions increased from 58 % without the STRIP Assistant to 76 % with it (p < 0.0001). Inappropriate decisions decreased from 42 % without the STRIP Assistant to 24 % with it (p < 0.0001). Participants spent significantly more time optimizing medication with the STRIP Assistant (24 min) than without it (13 min; p < 0.0001). They assigned it a below-average SUS score of 63.25. Conclusion The STRIP Assistant improves the effectiveness of medication reviews for polypharmacy patients

Spread of the invasive shell-boring annelid Polydora websteri (Polychaeta, Spionidae) into naturalised oyster reefs in the European Wadden Sea

With globally growing aquaculture activities, the co-introduction of parasites alongside large-scale movements of commercial species poses an increasing risk for marine ecosystems. Here, we present the first record of the shell-boring polychaete Polydora websteri Hartman in Loosanoff and Engle, 1943 in invasive Pacific oysters Crassostrea (Magallana) gigas (Thunberg, 1793) in the European Atlantic Ocean. In October 2014, mud blisters in the shells of wild Pacific oysters and specimens of a spionid polychaete were observed in close proximity to a commercial oyster farm at the island of Sylt (Germany) in the European Wadden Sea. Subsequent investigations indicated that these blisters only occurred near the farm and that no other mollusc species were affected. Morphological and molecular analysis identified the polychaete as Polydora websteri, a species that nowadays widely occurs around the globe, but likely is native to the Asian Pacific. Later sampling activities detected P. websteri also at other locations around Sylt as well as in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea at the island of Texel. The number of polychaetes in the oysters was, however, relatively low and mostly below 10 individuals per oyster. Together, this evidence suggests that P. websteri is currently extending its range. As the introduction of P. websteri may have severe ecological and economic implications, this study aims to alert others to look for P. websteri at Western European coasts within farmed or wild Pacific oysters to further document its spread

Caregivers' understanding of dementia predicts patients' comfort at death: a prospective observational study

Background: Patients with dementia frequently do not receive adequate palliative care which may relate to poor understanding of the natural course of dementia. We hypothesized that understanding that dementia is a progressive and terminal disease is fundamental to a focus on comfort in dementia, and examined how family and professional caregivers' understanding of the nature of the disease was associated with patients' comfort during the dying process. Methods: We enrolled 372 nursing home patients from 28 facilities in The Netherlands in a prospective observational study (2007 to 2010). We studied both the families and the physicians (73) of 161 patients. Understanding referred to families' comprehension of complications, prognosis, having been counseled on these, and perception of dementia as "a disease you can die from" (5-point agreement scale) at baseline. Physicians reported on this perception, prognosis and having counseled on this. Staff-assessed comfort with the End-of-Life in Dementia - Comfort Assessment in Dying (EOLD-CAD) scale. Associations between understanding and comfort were assessed with generalized estimating equations, structural equation modeling, and mediator analyses. Results: A family's perception of dementia as "a disease you can die from" predicted higher patient comfort during the dying process (adjusted coefficient -0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.5; -0.06 point increment disagreement). Family and physician combined perceptions (-0.9, CI: -1.5; -0.2; 9-point scale) were also predictive, including in less advanced dementia. Forty-three percent of the families perceived dementia as a disease you can die from (agreed completely, partly); 94% of physicians did. The association between combined perception and higher comfort was mediated by the families' reporting of a good relationship with the patient and physicians' perception that good care was provided in the last week. Conclusions: Awareness of the terminal nature of dementia may improve patient comfort at the end of life. Educating families on the nature of dementia may be an important part of advance care planning

Effectiveness of the palliative care ‘Availability, Current issues and Anticipation’ (ACA) communication training programme for general practitioners on patient outcomes: A controlled trial

Background: Although communicating effectively with patients receiving palliative care can be difficult, it may contribute to maintaining or enhancing patients' quality of life. Little is known about the effect of training general practitioners in palliative care specific communication. We hypothesized that palliative care patients of general practitioners exposed to the 'Availability, Current issues and Anticipation' communication training programme would report better outcomes than patients of control general practitioners. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation training programme for general practitioners on patient-reported outcomes. Design: In a controlled trial, general practitioners followed the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation programme or were part of the control group. Patients receiving palliative care of participating general practitioners completed the Palliative Care Outcome Scale, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative, the Rest & Peace Scale, the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-III and the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation Scale, at baseline and 12 months follow-up. We analysed differences between groups using linear mixed models. Trial registration: ISRCTN56722368. Setting/participants: General practitioners who attended a 2-year Palliative Care Training Course in the Netherlands. Results: Questionnaire data were available for 145 patients (89 in intervention and 56 in control group). We found no significant differences over time between the intervention and control groups in any of the five outcome measures. Ceiling effects were observed for the Rest & Peace Scale, Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Ill and Availability, Current issues and Anticipation Scale. Conclusion: General practitioner participation in the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation training programme did not have a measurable effect on any of the outcomes investigated. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with general practitioner care, regardless of group assignment. Future research might focus on general practitioners without special interest in palliative care

Black carbon as an additional indicator of the adverse health effects of airborne particles compared with PM10 and PM2.5.

Current air quality standards for particulate matter (PM) use the PM mass concentration [PM with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 10 μm (PM(10)) or ≤ 2.5 μm (PM(2.5))] as a metric. It has been suggested that particles from combustion sources are more relevant to human health than are particles from other sources, but the impact of policies directed at reducing PM from combustion processes is usually relatively small when effects are estimated for a reduction in the total mass concentration