RCSI Library Information Skills Training and Evidence-based Study Programme

The RCSI Medical Graduate Profile includes the following outcome for: Demonstrates information literacy skills specifically: Recognizes the need for information in given situations. Demonstrates the ability to find, critically evaluate, manage and synthesise new information with existing information to create new understanding. Demonstrates an understanding of the ethical issues involved in information retrieval and management including the concepts of plagiarism and confidentiality” Information literacy competencies are inextricably linked to finding the best evidence and therefore essential to practising evidence-based healthcare and to continuing professional development or life-long learning. By equipping students with these skills early in their careers RCSI is equipping them for life. RCSI Library Information Skills Training Programme and Evidence-based Study Workshops RCSI library staff have developed a number of “Information Skills Units” to support module specific learning outcomes across the RCSI biosciences schools. These units include learning activities to develop student information skills and being information literate is a specified outcome of the RCSI Medical Graduate Profile. This poster will focus on Evidence-based Study Workshops which have been developed and delivered in modules within the School of Medicine and the School of Physiotherapy. These workshops have been customised in co-ordination with module administrators and embedded in timetables. This close cooperation between faculty and health sciences librarians has been crucial to the success of the workshops. Specifically this poster will Outline the structure of the workshops, which explore: formulating clinical queries, identifying the type of study appropriate to the clinical question, developing appropriate strategies for a systematic search, deploy methodological filters, assess and appraise results Describe how these techniques are practised in a range of databases and clinical reference tools; Identify the challenges and successes of the Workshop approach Make recommendations for replicating this approach

Predictors of dominance rank and agonistic interactions in captive Livingstone’s fruit bats

Male dominance hierarchies have been studied in many animals but rarely in bats (Chiroptera). The dominance rank of social animals may dictate access to resources and mates; therefore, it has important implications for an individual’s fitness and is crucial for successful captive management. Between January and December 2018, at both Bristol Zoo Gardens (Bristol, UK) and Jersey Zoo (Jersey, British Isles), we observed 19 male Livingstone’s fruit bats Pteropus livingstonii using focal follows for 345 h overall, noting the outcome of all agonistic interactions. We recorded instigators of interactions, along with winners and losers, and analyzed these data using the R-package “EloRating” to create Elo-rating temporal plots of dominance ranks. We used generalized linear mixed models and multiple linear regression to analyze interaction data and test hypotheses regarding predictors of dominance rank, frequency of agonistic interaction, and choice of interaction partner. Age was positively correlated with dominance rank up to around year 9, when an asymptote was attained. Highly ranked bats instigated the most agonistic interactions, and largely directed these interactions at bats with much lower rankings than themselves. Hierarchies were extremely stable throughout the data collection period at both sites. We conclude that Livingstone’s fruit bats have a stable linear dominance hierarchy, with high-ranking, typically older males instigating the most interactions with lowest ranking males to secure dominance rank. This study adds to the limited discourse on Pteropus social behaviors, indicating that some bat species may have social systems similar in complexity to some nonhuman primates.<br/

Failure is the greatest teacher: Embracing the positives of failure in primate conservation

“Failure” is recognised as being vital for success in many fields but is seldom embraced in primate conservation or conservation more generally. In this paper, we use examples from the literature, particularly around reintroduction, to reflect on failure and consider the contribution it can make to primate conservation success. Barriers to acknowledging failure are highlighted and include concerns regarding reputational damage that impact on communication with funders, publishing, and discussing our projects more widely. We also discuss the need for a broader and adaptive approach to include multiple steps of experimentation, reflection, and subsequent learning. This process, which necessarily includes failures and the results of unintended consequences, will require primatologists to use a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and reflective approach to effectively address factors that contribute to failure, including those external to the traditional focus of primatologists. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for progressing in this area, including (i) Funding—funders to incorporate greater flexibility in response to project change and to specifically ask grantees to consider risk, failure, and lessons learnt, and funders and grantees to improve dialogue; (ii) Publishing—journals to have a section that considers failure and lessons learnt and, along with societies, to further engage with researchers from the Global South about the best ways to support with publishing; and (iii) Communication—primate conservationists to lead by example and reflect/discuss failure openly and to create spaces that encourage sharing of these topics. Whilst not exhaustive, we hope that these recommendations will contribute to developing a culture of constructive discussion around failure in primate conservation

Forest fragmentation and edge effects impact body condition, fur condition and ectoparasite prevalence in a nocturnal lemur community

We assessed how forest fragmentation and edge effects impact three physiological health components in a nocturnal primate community in northwest Madagascar. Physiological responses to fragmentation and edge effects were both species- and variable-specific. Our results highlight the resilience of some primate species to environmental change

Diet and nutrition in white-faced capuchins (cebus capucinus): effects of group, sex and reproductive state

Bibliography: p. 90-98White-faced capuchins ( Cebus capucinus) are considered behaviourally and ecologically flexible and their dietary patterns are no exception. My study is the first to examine the nutritional composition of wild capuchin foods and compare ingestion, nutrient and energy intake rates among: 1) groups with different habitats 2) males and females; and 3) females in different reproductive states. Females inhabiting early successional forest displayed higher rates of insect, fat and protein ingestion than females in semi-evergreen habitat. This suggests that monkeys in younger forests may compensate for lower quality habitat by consuming more food. Lactating females had higher ingestion rates than other females and tended toward higher nutrient intake rates, perhaps due to costs of milk production and infant care. However, overall energy intake rates were not significantly different by group, sex or reproductive state, suggesting that energy may be a limiting factor for capuchins and remain constant across individuals, even as their diets vary