Drivers of post-fire vascular plant regeneration in the conifer-dominated boreal forest of southern Northwest Territories

In recent years, climate warming has led to an increase in the severity and frequency of naturally occurring fires in boreal ecosystems globally. In 2014, an unprecedented 3.4 million hectares of boreal forest burned in the Northwest Territories (NWT). While much research has focused on post-fire succession of serotinous tree species such as Picea mariana (black spruce) and Pinus banksiana (jack pine), the understory community of vascular plants play an important role in ecosystem functioning but less is known about the response of this component of the system to changing fire regimes. Regeneration strategies such as the ability to resprout from underground rhizomes or disperse an abundance of seeds following fire are examples of plant traits that are adapted to fire regimes and have supported patterns of early recovery of boreal plant communities. Environmental factors such as surficial moisture and soil substrate conditions can also impact post-fire community assembly. Vascular plant community responses to changing fire severity and frequency will shape patterns of succession; understanding changes in these patterns in vascular plant assembly immediately following disturbance will enable future predictions to be made regarding forest recovery. Understanding the patterns of early recovery of plant communities is of interest both for humans and wildlife that depend on self-recovery of vegetation in this region. During the summer of 2015, information was collected on the presence of plant species and their regeneration modes in 212 sample plots throughout the NWT. Our objectives were to 1) quantify the role of environmental variables and fire characteristics on taxa richness and regeneration traits following an extreme wildfire event; and 2) characterize and investigate vascular plant species composition immediately following fire, with a view to understanding the environmental variables and plant traits underlying post-fire assembly processes. We found that plant community recovery in the southern boreal forest of the NWT is rapid and dominated primarily by rhizomatic species present pre-fire. Our findings suggest that environmental characteristics influenced patterns of community assembly across multiple spatial scales. Poorly drained areas with greater surficial moisture and associated soil characteristics strongly supported self-replacement of plant communities

End of life care: an educational pathway for community nurses.

This article reports on an innovative educational pathway for district and community nurses aimed at enhancing confidence and competence in dealing with end of life care (EoLC). Nurses were aligned with a mentor from a specialist palliative care team and, after completing a training needs analysis, created their own development plan. Participants undertook a range of formal and informal education, and a rise in confidence was identified, specifically in communication skills and symptom management. Such practice-based education may offer a powerful and convenient approach to EoLC education for community staff. Read More: http://rcnpublishing.com/doi/abs/10.7748/phc2014.02.24.1.18.e80

Imagery and sport performance

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN008230 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Understanding patients’ experiences of hayfever and its treatment: a survey of illness and medication cognitions

Background: Although effective medication for hayfever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) is available, treatment outcomes are often be poor. Patient beliefs influence outcomes in many other diseases. Assessing patients’ beliefs about their illness and medication may identify targets for intervention to optimize self management and lessen disease impact. Objective: The application of validated health-related analytical models (Leventhal’s illness representations and Horne’s beliefs about medications) to explore patients’ understanding and experience of hayfever and its treatment. Methods: Cross-sectional postal questionnaire sent to 20% sample of adults attending four General Practices in South England and prescribed medication for hayfever symptoms in the previous two years. Measures included the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire. Results: 316/586 questionnaires were returned (54%). Cluster analysis identified two patient groups; those with negative beliefs (n=132) and those with more positive beliefs about hayfever and its treatment (n=182). Those with negative beliefs were more likely to believe that their hayfever would last for a long time, that they have little personal control over their illness and that their treatment is not effective. Conversely, they reported greater consequences, greater emotional impact, less understanding of hayfever and more medication concerns than those with more positive beliefs. Conclusions and clinical relevance: Patients with hayfever fall into two distinct groups: nearly half (41% of those sampled) have negative beliefs about their condition. Eliciting patient beliefs during the consultation may reveal assumptions that differ from those of healthcare professionals. Such beliefs should be considered when negotiating treatment plans

Analysis of prehistoric brown earth paleosols under the podzol soils of Exmoor, UK

The deforestation of the upland landscapes in southwest Britain during prehistory is an established archaeological narrative, documenting human impacts on the environment and questioning the relationship of prehistoric societies to the upland landscapes they inhabited. Allied to the paleoenvironmental analyses of pollen sequences, which have provided the evidence of this change, there has been some investigation of prehistoric paleosols fossilized under principally Bronze Age archaeological monuments. These analyses identified brown earth soils that were originally associated with temperate deciduous woodland, on occasion showing evidence of human impacts such as tilling. However, the number of analyses of these paleosols has been limited. This study presents the first analysis of a series of pre‐podzol brown earth paleosols on Exmoor, UK, two of which are associated with colluvial soil erosion sediments before the formation of peat. This study indicates these paleosols are spatially extensive and have considerable potential to inform a more nuanced understanding of prehistoric human impacts on the upland environments of the early‐mid Holocene and assess human agency in driving ecosystem change

Real-Time Measurement of Myosin–Nucleotide Noncovalent Complexes by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

AbstractNanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry has been used to measure the binding of ATP and ADP to the active site of rabbit skeletal myosin-S1. Increases in the molecular mass of myosin-S1 of 425±10Da were obtained with the binding of ADP to the active site and by 530±10Da with either ATP or hydrolysis products ADP and phosphate. Active site titrations of myosin-S1 with ADP gave a stoichiometry of ∼1 ADP/S1 with an affinity in the micromolar range. The binding of ATP to myosin-S1 could be observed in the presence of up to 60μM of excess MgATP without nonspecific binding of MgATP to the myosin. Conversion of the nucleotide complex containing an equilibrium mixture of ATP and ADP-Pi bound to myosin-S1 to one containing only bound ADP occurs at a rate consistent with that of the known steady-state rate of ATP hydrolysis. We expect this method to be of considerable use in the analysis of ligand binding and hydrolysis by the active sites of expressed myosin and myosin subfragments, which are not available in sufficient quantities for conventional methods of measurement of ligand binding

Volunteer Research and Knowledge Competency Codebook: A Tool for Identifying Volunteer Needs

Extension personnel are tasked with ensuring that 4-H volunteers have competencies identified in the Volunteer Research and Knowledge Competency (VRKC) Taxonomy, 4-H youth development\u27s foundational volunteer skills framework. The VRKC Codebook is a qualitative analysis tool for accurately identifying VRKC-aligned needs expressed in volunteer needs assessment data. The codebook and accompanying guide were developed following a statewide volunteer needs assessment in which a need for VRKC-based evaluation tools emerged. 4-H educators can use the codebook and guide to efficiently detect areas of need that may otherwise be overlooked, empowering them to provide practical and impactful education and support systems better aligned with the unique research-based needs of their local volunteers

Development of an optimised 1:1 physiotherapy intervention post first-time lumbar discectomy:a mixed-methods study

Objectives To develop an optimised 1:1 physiotherapy intervention that reflects best practice, with flexibility to tailor management to individual patients, thereby ensuring patient-centred practice. Design Mixed-methods combining evidence synthesis, expert review and focus groups. Setting Secondary care involving 5 UK specialist spinal centres. Participants A purposive panel of clinical experts from the 5 spinal centres, comprising spinal surgeons, inpatient and outpatient physiotherapists, provided expert review of the draft intervention. Purposive samples of patients (n=10) and physiotherapists (n=10) (inpatient/outpatient physiotherapists managing patients with lumbar discectomy) were invited to participate in the focus groups at 1 spinal centre. Methods A draft intervention developed from 2 systematic reviews; a survey of current practice and research related to stratified care was circulated to the panel of clinical experts. Lead physiotherapists collaborated with physiotherapy and surgeon colleagues to provide feedback that informed the intervention presented at 2 focus groups investigating acceptability to patients and physiotherapists. The focus groups were facilitated by an experienced facilitator, recorded in written and tape-recorded forms by an observer. Tape recordings were transcribed verbatim. Data analysis, conducted by 2 independent researchers, employed an iterative and constant comparative process of (1) initial descriptive coding to identify categories and subsequent themes, and (2) deeper, interpretive coding and thematic analysis enabling concepts to emerge and overarching pattern codes to be identified. Results The intervention reflected best available evidence and provided flexibility to ensure patient-centred care. The intervention comprised up to 8 sessions of 1:1 physiotherapy over 8 weeks, starting 4 weeks postsurgery. The intervention was acceptable to patients and physiotherapists. Conclusions A rigorous process informed an optimised 1:1 physiotherapy intervention post-lumbar discectomy that reflects best practice. The developed intervention was agreed on by the 5 spinal centres for implementation in a randomised controlled trial to evaluate its effectiveness