Is the blue tit falling into an ecological trap in Argentine ant invaded forests?

Because insectivorous birds must evaluate resources for reproduction before settling into a breed- ing habitat, they can fall into an ecological trap if informative cues about habitat suitability become dissociated from their actual yield. Given their potential to affect ecological networks, invasive ant species are potential candidates for triggering such ecological traps. We combined observational and experimental approaches to examine whether the variation in food supply for nestlings resulting from the invasion of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, had any influence on the breeding ecology of the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, an insectivorous foliage-gleaner. We inves- tigated the effects of the ant invasion on breeding performance (nesting success, clutch size, brood size and breeding success) and offspring quality (body size and condition, developmental stability and plumage colour) in replicated Mediterranean forest areas over a period of 3 years. There was no evidence that the reduction in caterpillar availability resulting from the invasion had a concurrent negative effect on the blue tit’s ability to successfully rear nestlings in optimal conditions, at least as measured here. Although the raw figures suggest an increased level of nutritional stress in blue tits breeding in invaded forests, the data analyses showed no significant alterations in terms of productiv- ity or offspring fitness. The reproductive performance of the blue tit has been shown to be remarkably resilient to the Argentine ant-mediated food shortage, either because the prey reduction following the invasion did not reach a critical threshold or because of compensa- tory activity by the progenitors. We cannot conclusively reject an ecological trap triggered by the ant invasion on blue tits, since neither fledgling recruitment nor the prospective survival of parents were assessed. Even though we could not confirm short-term consequences of the Argentine ant invasion on blue tit reproductive fitness, the long-term bottom-up effects of the invasion remain unknown and should not be ruled outPeer reviewe

Scan Free GEXRF in the Soft X ray Range for the Investigation of Structured Nanosamples

Scan free grazing emission X ray fluorescence spectroscopy GEXRF is an established technique for the investigation of the elemental depth profiles of various samples. Recently it has been applied to investigating structured nanosamples in the tender X ray range. However, lighter elements such as oxygen, nitrogen or carbon cannot be efficiently investigated in this energy range, because of the ineffective excitation. Moreover, common CCD detectors are not able to discriminate between fluorescence lines below 1 keV. Oxygen and nitrogen are important components of insulation and passivation layers, for example, in silicon oxide or silicon nitride. In this work, scan free GEXRF is applied in proof of concept measurements for the investigation of lateral ordered 2D nanostructures in the soft X ray range. The sample investigated is a Si3N4 lamellar grating, which represents 2D periodic nanostructures as used in the semiconductor industry. The emerging two dimensional fluorescence patterns are recorded with a CMOS detector. To this end, energy dispersive spectra are obtained via single photon event evaluation. In this way, spatial and therefore angular information is obtained, while discrimination between different photon energies is enabled. The results are compared to calculations of the sample model performed by a Maxwell solver based on the finite elements method. A first measurement is carried out at the UE56 2 PGM 2 beamline at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation facility to demonstrate the feasibility of the method in the soft X ray range. Furthermore, a laser produced plasma source LPP is utilized to investigate the feasibility of this technique in the laboratory. The results from the BESSY II measurements are in good agreement with the simulations and prove the applicability of scan free GEXRF in the soft X ray range for quality control and process engineering of 2D nanostructures. The LPP results illustrate the chances and challenges concerning a transfer of the methodology to the laborator

Immediate and short-term pain relief by acute sciatic nerve press: a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite much research, an immediately available, instantly effective and harmless pain relief technique has not been discovered. This study describes a new manipulation: a "2-minute sciatic nerve press", for rapid short-term relief of pain brought on by various dental and renal diseases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial ran in three hospitals in Anhui Province, China, with an enrollment of 66 out of 111 solicited patients aged 16 to 74 years. Patients were recruited sequentially, by specific participating physicians at their clinic visits to three independent hospitals. The diseases in enrolled dental patients included dental caries, periodontal diseases and dental trauma. Renal diseases in recruits included kidney infections, stones and some other conditions. Patients were randomly assigned to receive the "2-minute sciatic nerve press" or the "placebo press". For the "2-minute sciatic nerve press", pressure was applied simultaneously to the sciatic nerves at the back of the thighs, using the fists while patients lay prone. For the "placebo press", pressure was applied simultaneously to a parallel spot on the front of the thighs, using the fists while patients lay supine. Each fist applied a pressure of 11 to 20 kg for 2 minutes, after which, patients arose to rate pain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The "2-minute sciatic nerve press" produced greater pain relief than the "placebo press". Within the first 10 minutes after sciatic pressure, immediate pain relief ratings averaged 66.4% (p < 0.001) for the dental patients, versus pain relief of 20% for the placebo press, and, 52.2% (p < 0.01) for the renal patients, versus relief of 14% for the placebo press, in median. The method worked excellently for dental caries and periodontal diseases, but poorly for dental trauma. Forty percent of renal patients with renal colic did not report any pain relief after the treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Two minutes of pressure on both sciatic nerves can produce immediate significant conduction analgesia, providing a convenient, safe and powerful way to overcome clinical pain brought on by dental diseases and renal diseases for short term purposes.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ACTR 12606000439549</p

National strategy for palliative care of severely ill and dying people and their relatives in pandemics (PallPan) in Germany - study protocol of a mixed-methods project

BACKGROUND In the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, general and specialist Palliative Care (PC) plays an essential role in health care, contributing to symptom control, psycho-social support, and providing support in complex decision making. Numbers of COVID-19 related deaths have recently increased demanding more palliative care input. Also, the pandemic impacts on palliative care for non-COVID-19 patients. Strategies on the care for seriously ill and dying people in pandemic times are lacking. Therefore, the program 'Palliative care in Pandemics' (PallPan) aims to develop and consent a national pandemic plan for the care of seriously ill and dying adults and their informal carers in pandemics including (a) guidance for generalist and specialist palliative care of patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 infections on the micro, meso and macro level, (b) collection and development of information material for an online platform, and (c) identification of variables and research questions on palliative care in pandemics for the national pandemic cohort network (NAPKON). METHODS Mixed-methods project including ten work packages conducting (online) surveys and qualitative interviews to explore and describe i) experiences and burden of patients (with/without SARS-CoV-2 infection) and their relatives, ii) experiences, challenges and potential solutions of health care professionals, stakeholders and decision makers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The work package results inform the development of a consensus-based guidance. In addition, best practice examples and relevant literature will be collected and variables for data collection identified. DISCUSSION For a future \textquotedblpandemic preparedness\textquotedbl national and international recommendations and concepts for the~care of severely ill and dying people are necessary considering both generalist and specialist palliative care in the home care and inpatient setting

A new analgesic method, two-minute sciatic nerve press, for immediate pain relief: a randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current analgesics have drawbacks such as delays in acquisition, lag-times for effect, and side effects. We recently presented a preliminary report of a new analgesic method involving a two-minute sciatic nerve press, which resulted in immediate short-term relief of pain associated with dental and renal diseases. The present study investigated whether this technique was effective for pain associated with other disease types, and whether the relief was effective for up to one hour.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was conducted in four hospitals in Anhui Province, China. Patients with pain were sequentially recruited by participating physicians during clinic visits, and 135 patients aged 15 – 80 years were enrolled. Dental disease patients included those with acute pulpitis and periapical abscesses. Renal disease patients included those with kidney infections and/or stones. Tumor patients included those with nose, breast, stomach and liver cancers, while Emergency Room patients had various pathologies. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a "sciatic nerve press" in which pressure was applied simultaneously to the sciatic nerves at the back of both thighs, or a "placebo press" in which pressure was applied to a parallel region on the front of the thighs. Each fist applied a pressure of 11 – 20 kg for 2 minutes. Patients rated their level of pain before and after the procedure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The "sciatic nerve press" produced immediate relief of pain in all patient groups. Emergency patients reported a 43.5% reduction in pain (p < 0.001). Significant pain relief for dental, renal and tumor patients lasted for 60 minutes (p < 0.001). The peak pain relief occurred at the 10 – 20^thminutes, and the relief decreased 47% by the 60^thminutes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Two minutes of pressure on both sciatic nerves produced immediate significant short-term conduction analgesia. This technique is a convenient, safe and powerful method for the short-term treatment of clinical pain associated with a diverse range of pathologies.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ACTRN012606000439549</p

Assessing the Quality of Decision Support Technologies Using the International Patient Decision Aid Standards instrument (IPDASi)

Objectives To describe the development, validation and inter-rater reliability of an instrument to measure the quality of patient decision support technologies (decision aids). Design Scale development study, involving construct, item and scale development, validation and reliability testing. Setting There has been increasing use of decision support technologies – adjuncts to the discussions clinicians have with patients about difficult decisions. A global interest in developing these interventions exists among both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations. It is therefore essential to have internationally accepted standards to assess the quality of their development, process, content, potential bias and method of field testing and evaluation. Methods Scale development study, involving construct, item and scale development, validation and reliability testing. Participants Twenty-five researcher-members of the International Patient Decision Aid Standards Collaboration worked together to develop the instrument (IPDASi). In the fourth Stage (reliability study), eight raters assessed thirty randomly selected decision support technologies. Results IPDASi measures quality in 10 dimensions, using 47 items, and provides an overall quality score (scaled from 0 to 100) for each intervention. Overall IPDASi scores ranged from 33 to 82 across the decision support technologies sampled (n = 30), enabling discrimination. The inter-rater intraclass correlation for the overall quality score was 0.80. Correlations of dimension scores with the overall score were all positive (0.31 to 0.68). Cronbach's alpha values for the 8 raters ranged from 0.72 to 0.93. Cronbach's alphas based on the dimension means ranged from 0.50 to 0.81, indicating that the dimensions, although well correlated, measure different aspects of decision support technology quality. A short version (19 items) was also developed that had very similar mean scores to IPDASi and high correlation between short score and overall score 0.87 (CI 0.79 to 0.92). Conclusions This work demonstrates that IPDASi has the ability to assess the quality of decision support technologies. The existing IPDASi provides an assessment of the quality of a DST's components and will be used as a tool to provide formative advice to DSTs developers and summative assessments for those who want to compare their tools against an existing benchmark