Mortality rates of the Alpine Chamois : the influence of snow-meteorological factors

Especially for animals inhabiting alpine areas, winter environmental conditions can be limiting. Cold temperatures, hampered food availability and natural perils are just three of many potential threats that mountain ungulates face in winter. Understanding their sensitivity to climate variability is essential for game management. Here we focus on analyzing the influence of snow and weather conditions on the mortality pattern of Alpine chamois. Our mortality data are derived from a systematic assessment of 6,500 chamois that died of natural causes over the course of 13 years. We use population- and habitat-specific data on snow, climate and avalanche danger to identify the key environmental factors that essentially determine the spatio-temporal variations in chamois mortality. Initially, we show that most fatalities occurred in winter, with a peak around March, when typically snow depths were highest. Death causes related to poor general conditions were the major component of seasonal variations. As for the interannual variations in mortality, snow depth and avalanche risk best explained the occurrence of winters with increased numbers of fatalities. Finally, analyzing differences in mortality rates between populations, we identified sun-exposed winter habitats with little snow accumulation as favourable for alpine chamois

What You Do in High School Matters: The Effects of High School GPA on Educational Attainment and Labor Market Earnings in Adulthood

Using abstracted grades and other data from Add Health, we investigate the effects of cumulative high school GPA on educational attainment and labor market earnings among a sample of young adults (ages 24-34). We estimate several models with an extensive list of control variables and high school fixed effects. Results consistently show that high school GPA is a positive and statistically significant predictor of educational attainment and earnings in adulthood. Moreover, the effects are large and economically important for each gender. Interesting and somewhat unexpected findings emerge for race. Various sensitivity tests support the stability of the core findings.High school grades; Educational attainment; Earnings; Panel data

Maternal Experiences of Their Unborn Child's Spiritual Care: Patterns of Abstinence in Iran

Preparing for pregnancy and childbirth has significant association with spirituality. Review of the literature shows that the spirituality of the “unborn child” has not yet attracted much critical attention. This study was conducted with the aim of exploration of maternal behaviors associated with the spiritual health of the unborn child. A qualitative approach was used to investigate the research question. Twenty-seven in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with 22 Iranian mothers in Tehran city (Iran) who were pregnant or had experienced pregnancy in 2012-2013. Data analysis was carried out using a conventional content analysis approach. “Refusing to eat forbidden food,” “Overcoming mental adversity,” “Regulating one’s social interactions,” “Preventing the effects of harmful environments on the senses,” “Avoidance of using insulting and abusive language,” “Keeping one’s mind and spirit free from evil traits,” and “Refraining from damaging behaviors” were important experiences that the mothers used for “Holistic Abstinence.” The results provide new information about the subjective experiences of Iranian women on the patterns of abstinence for the midwives, research community, policy makers, and planners of maternal and child health care services in order to contribute to holistic, culturally, and religiously competent prenatal care for Muslim pregnant women throughout the world

The Local Nanohertz Gravitational-Wave Landscape From Supermassive Black Hole Binaries

Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) in the 10 million to 10 billion $M_\odot$ range form in galaxy mergers, and live in galactic nuclei with large and poorly constrained concentrations of gas and stars. There are currently no observations of merging SMBHBs--- it is in fact possible that they stall at their final parsec of separation and never merge. While LIGO has detected high frequency GWs, SMBHBs emit GWs in the nanohertz to millihertz band. This is inaccessible to ground-based interferometers, but possible with Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs). Using data from local galaxies in the 2 Micron All-Sky Survey, together with galaxy merger rates from Illustris, we find that there are on average $91\pm7$ sources emitting GWs in the PTA band, and $7\pm2$ binaries which will never merge. Local unresolved SMBHBs can contribute to GW background anisotropy at a level of $\sim20\%$, and if the GW background can be successfully isolated, GWs from at least one local SMBHB can be detected in 10 years.Comment: submitted to Nature Astronomy (reformatted for arXiv

Resource utilization among informal caregiver of lung cancer patients undergoing treatment

The objective of this study is to explore patient and caregiver factors that shape the use of available resources to support caregiving for lung cancer patients undergoing treatment. A mixed-method study was conducted at one regional cancer centre within the Province of Ontario, Canada, using concurrent triangulation design. Adult patients with lung cancer (n=46) and their caregivers (n=42) (37 patient-caregiver dyads) were invited to complete a one-time study survey. Informal caregivers (n=20) also participated in a one-time semi-structured interview. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation were used to examine patterns of resource utilization and associations among study variables. Content analysis was conducted to analyse data from interviews. Informal caregivers demonstrated low overall resource utilization. Education materials and homecare support were the most frequently used but perceived as minimally helpful. Homecare support was associated with negative overall experience. Least used resources included paid help, caregiver support groups and volunteer drivers but volunteer drivers were associated with less caregiver burden. Qualitative analysis revealed three themes (1) emotional labour of caregiving and respite from known contacts, (2) perception of formal resources as inappropriate for non-medical needs and (3) financial needs and role conflicts remain to be overcome. Informal caregivers are most likely to turn to known existing social networks for support as a result of accessibility and convenience, which are central to addressing most caregiver needs except for financial needs and role conflict. Future research should aim to remove barriers to resource utilization and strengthen existing support and resources. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Assessing the chronic toxicity of nickel to a tropical marine gastropod and two crustaceans

The mining and processing of nickel ores from tropical regions contributes 40% of the global supply. The potential impact of these activities on tropical marine ecosystems is poorly understood. Due to the lack of ecotoxicity data for tropical marine species, there is currently no available water quality guideline value for nickel that is specific to tropical species. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of nickel to three tropical marine invertebrates, the gastropod Nassarius dorsatus, the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite, and the copepod Acartia sinjiensis. All toxicity tests used chronic endpoints, namely larval growth, metamorphosis (transition from nauplii to cyprid larvae) and larval development for the snail, barnacle and copepod respectively. Toxicity tests were carried out under environmentally relevant conditions (i.e. 27-30ᵒC, salinity 34-36‰ pH 8.1-8.4). Copper was also tested for quality assurance purposes and to allow for comparisons with previous studies. The copepod was the most sensitive species to nickel, with development inhibited by 10% (EC10) at 5.5 (5.0-6.0) µg Ni/L (95% confidence limits (CL)). Based on EC10 values, the gastropod and barnacle showed similar sensitivities to nickel with growth and metamorphosis inhibited by 10% at 64 (37−91) µg Ni/L and 67 (53−80) µg Ni/L, respectively. Based on existing data available in the literature, the copepod A. sinjiensis is so far the most sensitive tropical marine species to nickel. This study has provided high quality data which will contribute to the development of a water quality guideline value for nickel in tropical marine waters. A species sensitivity distribution of chronic nickel toxicity used the data generated in this paper supplemented by available literature data, comprising 12 species representing 6 taxonomic groups. A 5% hazard concentration (HC5) was determined as 8.2 µg/L Ni

Effective implementation of peri-operative local guidelines for metabolic surgery in patients with diabetes mellitus in a tier 4 setting demonstrate improved work efficiency and resource allocation

Background Dynamic changes in glycaemia predominate peri-operatively in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) undergoing metabolic surgery. There is a lack of consensus and clear guidance on effective glycaemic management of such patients. The aim of this study was to design, pilot, and implement a proforma to improve consistency of glycaemic management and clarity of communication with healthcare professionals following metabolic surgery in patients with T2DM, thereby reducing unnecessary diabetes specialist nurse (DSN) referrals. Methods A proforma was designed and piloted for 12 months to guide healthcare professionals on managing glycaemic therapies for T2DM patients undergoing metabolic surgery. Glycaemic control (HbA1c) and glycaemic therapies were reviewed 3 weeks pre-operatively and a proforma was completed accordingly. Results Of the patients with T2DM (n = 34) who underwent metabolic surgery prior to the new proforma being implemented, 71% (n = 24) had a DSN referral. Half of these referrals were deemed unnecessary by the DSNs. Of the patients with T2DM (n = 33) who underwent metabolic surgery following implementation of the proforma, 21% (n = 7) had a DSN referral. Only 10% of these were deemed unnecessary. Despite the reduced DSN input, no diabetes-related complications were reported. Conclusion Implementation of our proforma effectively halved the proportion of patients with T2DM requiring a DSN referral. Additionally, there was a 40% absolute reduction in the proportion of unnecessary DSN referrals. The proforma improved clarity of communication and guidance for healthcare professionals in the glycaemic management of patients. This also facilitated improved work efficiency and resource allocation

Chiral, air stable, and reliable Pd(0) precatalysts applicable to asymmetric allylic alkylation chemistry.

Stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation via palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation is a crucial strategy to access chiral natural products and active pharmaceutical ingredients. However, catalysts based on the privileged Trost and Pfaltz-Helmchen-Williams PHOX ligands often require high loadings, specific preactivation protocols, and excess chiral ligand. This makes these reactions uneconomical, often unreproducible, and thus unsustainable. Here we report several chiral single-component Pd(0) precatalysts that are active and practically-applicable in a variety of asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions. Despite the decades-long history and widespread use of Trost-type ligands, the precatalysts in this work are the only reported examples of stable, isolable Pd(0) complexes with these ligands. Evaluating these precatalysts across nine asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions reveals high reactivity and selectivity at low Pd loading. Importantly, we also report an unprecedented Pd-catalyzed enantioselective allylation of a hydantoin, achieved on gram scale in high yield and enantioselectivity with only 0.2 mol% catalyst

European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI)-Formulating Ideas for Better Medicines for Children.

© American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists 2016, published by Springer US, available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1208/s12249-016-0584-1The European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI), founded in 2007, aims to promote and facilitate the preparation of better and safe medicines for children through linking research and information dissemination. It brings together the capabilities of the industry, academics, hospitals, and regulators within a common platform in order to scope the solid understanding of the major issues, which will underpin the progress towards the future of paediatric medicines we want.The EuPFI was formed in parallel to the adoption of regulations within the EU and USA and has served as a community that drives research and dissemination through publications and the organisation of annual conferences. The membership and reach of this group have grown since its inception in 2007 and continue to develop and evolve to meet the continuing needs and ambitions of research into and development of age appropriate medicines. Five diverse workstreams (age-appropriate medicines, Biopharmaceutics, Administration Devices, Excipients and Taste Assessment & Taste Masking (TATM)) direct specific workpackages on behalf of the EuPFI. Furthermore, EuPFI interacts with multiple diverse professional groups across the globe to ensure efficient working in the area of paediatric medicines. Strong commitment and active involvement of all EuPFI stakeholders have proved to be vital to effectively address knowledge gaps related to paediatric medicines, discuss potential areas for further research and identify issues that need more attention and analysis in the future.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio