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Selected AbstractsIncubation temperatures and sex ratios in Australian brush-turkey (Alectura lathami) moundsAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2007ANN GÖTH Abstract Megapodes are exceptional among birds because they use external heat sources for incubating their eggs. In Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami), this source is the heat produced by microbial decomposition in mounds of leaf litter. A recent laboratory study showed that artificial incubation of eggs at different temperatures affects the sex ratio of brush-turkey hatchlings. Here, this phenomenon is confirmed for eggs incubated in natural incubation mounds. Eggs from which females hatched were found at significantly higher incubation temperatures in the mounds (mean 33.7°C) than those from which males hatched (mean 32.9°C). Also, sex ratios of chicks from individual mounds were significantly correlated with mean incubation temperatures in those mounds. Furthermore, incubation temperatures differed significantly between incubation mounds during the same month of the year. Within some mounds, incubation temperatures differed up to 9°C between eggs, in others this difference was only up to 1°C. These latter results show that males differ in their ability to maintain stable incubation temperatures. While the effect of incubation temperatures on sex ratio is a novel discovery for any bird, it was previously suggested that incubation temperatures in megapodes also affect embryo mortality and chick survival. These combined effects of incubation temperature, and the limited ability of males to provide optimal temperatures, seem to provide answers to the question why so few birds have adopted this unusual mode of reproduction , a question asked by many behavioural ecologists and evolutionary biologists. [source] Positive association between ambient temperature and salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand, 1965,2006AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2 2010Emma Britton Abstract Objective: To investigate the temporal relationship between the monthly count of salmonellosis notifications and the monthly average temperature in New Zealand during the period 1965,2006. Methods: A negative binomial regression model was used to analyse monthly average ambient temperature and salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand between 1965 and 2006. Results: A 1°C increase in monthly average ambient temperature was associated with a 15% increase in salmonellosis notifications within the same month (IRR 1.15; 95% CI 1.07 , 1.24). Conclusion: The positive association found in this study between temperature and salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand is consistent with the results of studies conducted in other countries. New Zealand is projected to experience an increase in temperature due to climate change. Therefore, all other things being equal, climate change could increase salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand. Implications: This association between temperature and salmonellosis should be considered when developing public health plans and climate change adaptation policies. Strategically, existing food safety programs to prevent salmonellosis could be intensified during warmer periods. As the association was strongest within the same month, focusing on improving food handling and storage during this time period may assist in climate change adaptation in New Zealand. [source] Evaluation of a falls prevention programme in an acute tertiary care hospitalJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 2 2007M Hth Sci, PG Dip Clin Epi, Teresa A Williams BN Aims and objectives., To evaluate a systematic, coordinated approach to limit the severity and minimize the number of falls in an acute care hospital. Background., Patient falls are a significant cause of preventable injury and death, particularly in older patients. Best practice principles mandate that hospitals identify those patients at risk of falling and implement interventions to prevent or minimize them. Methods., A before and after design was used for the study. All patients admitted to three medical wards and a geriatric evaluation management unit were enrolled over a six-month period. Patients' risk of falling was assessed using a falls risk assessment tool and appropriate interventions implemented using a falls care plan. Data related to the number and severity of falls were obtained from the Australian Incident Monitoring System database used at the study site. Results., In this study, 1357 patient admissions were included. According to their risk category, 37% of patients (n = 496) were grouped as low risk (score = 1,10), 58% (n = 774) medium risk (score = 11,20) and 5% (n = 63) high risk (score = 21,33) for falls. The incidence of falls (per average occupied bed day) was eight per 1000 bed days for the study period. Compared with the same months in 2002/2003, there was a significant reduction in falls from 0·95 to 0·80 (95% CI for the difference ,0·14 to ,0·16, P < 0·001). Conclusion., We evaluated a systematic, coordinated approach to falls management that included a falls risk assessment tool and falls care plan in the acute care setting. Although a significant reduction in falls was found in this study, it could not be attributed to any specific interventions. Relevance to clinical practice., Preventing falls where possible is essential. Assessment of risk and use of appropriate interventions can reduce the incidence of falls. [source] Weight monitoring of breastfed babies in the UK , centile charts, scales and weighing frequencyMATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION, Issue 2 2005Magda Sachs ba, ma (cantab) Abstract Weighing infants during their first 6 months is an important focus of growth monitoring and a common activity of child health care services worldwide. In these same months, health workers provide support for breastfeeding and promote continued exclusive breastfeeding. The literature on the practice of weighing breastfed babies is reviewed, as it applies to the United Kingdom. The shape of the growth curves for breastfed babies differs from that of formula-fed infants and also from centile charts previously in use. The World Health Organization commitment to the production of a new growth reference has generated discussion of the implications of charts in use. The country-specific charts in use in the UK are examined and the data used to construct them discussed with reference to clinical use for breastfed infants. Recent UK discussions on charts, as well as on the frequency of routine weighing for babies in the community are considered, and the available evidence on the accuracy of weighing in practice is noted. The choices made in constructing different charts; the physical condition of scales and their use in practice have implications for plotted growth. This paper aims to present a wide range of evidence available in this area in order to encourage debate on practice. A companion paper will discuss issues of interpretation, conveying information to parents, and interventions. [source] Position and Histological Structure of the Testes in the Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) during Seasonal Regression and RecrudescenceANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 2 2000B. Simeunovi The position and histological structure of the testes of 33 brown hares (Lepus europaeus) were studied from July to December. From July to September, the testes were located in the scrotum; in October and November, in some animals, the testes were positioned more or less in the inguinal canal towards the abdominal cavity, and in December none of the investigated animals had testes located in the scrotum. Testes were weighed and a quantitative analysis of tissue components was performed: the diameter of the seminiferous tubules, the depth of the seminiferous epithelium, the thickness of the tunica albuginea, the thickness of the peritubular tissue and the relative proportion of seminiferous tubules were determined. The tunica albuginea and peritubular tissue were thickest in September, October and at the beginning of November. In the same months the testis weight was low, and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules, the depth of the seminiferous epithelium and the relative proportion of seminiferous tubules in the testis tissue were significantly lower than in other months. We did not find any correlation between testicular regression or testis weight reduction and the change in the position of the testes. During recrudescence of spermatogenesis in November and December the testes were located in the inguinal canal. [source] | |||||||||||||