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Knowledge Relating (knowledge + relating)
Selected AbstractsQuantification of Extinction Risk: IUCN's System for Classifying Threatened SpeciesCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008GEORGINA M. MACE definición de prioridades de conservación; especies amenazadas; Lista Roja UICN; riesgo de extinción Abstract:,The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species was increasingly used during the 1980s to assess the conservation status of species for policy and planning purposes. This use stimulated the development of a new set of quantitative criteria for listing species in the categories of threat: critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. These criteria, which were intended to be applicable to all species except microorganisms, were part of a broader system for classifying threatened species and were fully implemented by IUCN in 2000. The system and the criteria have been widely used by conservation practitioners and scientists and now underpin one indicator being used to assess the Convention on Biological Diversity 2010 biodiversity target. We describe the process and the technical background to the IUCN Red List system. The criteria refer to fundamental biological processes underlying population decline and extinction. But given major differences between species, the threatening processes affecting them, and the paucity of knowledge relating to most species, the IUCN system had to be both broad and flexible to be applicable to the majority of described species. The system was designed to measure the symptoms of extinction risk, and uses 5 independent criteria relating to aspects of population loss and decline of range size. A species is assigned to a threat category if it meets the quantitative threshold for at least one criterion. The criteria and the accompanying rules and guidelines used by IUCN are intended to increase the consistency, transparency, and validity of its categorization system, but it necessitates some compromises that affect the applicability of the system and the species lists that result. In particular, choices were made over the assessment of uncertainty, poorly known species, depleted species, population decline, restricted ranges, and rarity; all of these affect the way red lists should be viewed and used. Processes related to priority setting and the development of national red lists need to take account of some assumptions in the formulation of the criteria. Resumen:,La Lista Roja de Especies Amenazadas de la UICN (Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza) fue muy utilizada durante la década de l980 para evaluar el estatus de conservación de especies para fines políticos y de planificación. Este uso estimuló el desarrollo de un conjunto nuevo de criterios cuantitativos para enlistar especies en las categorías de amenaza: en peligro crítico, en peligro y vulnerable. Estos criterios, que se pretendía fueran aplicables a todas las especies excepto microorganismos, eran parte de un sistema general para clasificar especies amenazadas y fueron implementadas completamente por la UICN en 2000. El sistema y los criterios han sido ampliamente utilizados por practicantes y científicos de la conservación y actualmente apuntalan un indicador utilizado para evaluar el objetivo al 2010 de la Convención de Diversidad Biológica. Describimos el proceso y el respaldo técnico del sistema de la Lista Roja de la IUCN. Los criterios se refieren a los procesos biológicos fundamentales que subyacen en la declinación y extinción de una población. Pero, debido a diferencias mayores entre especies, los procesos de amenaza que los afectan y la escasez de conocimiento sobre la mayoría de las especies, el sistema de la UICN tenía que ser amplio y flexible para ser aplicable a la mayoría de las especies descritas. El sistema fue diseñado para medir los síntomas del riesgo de extinción, y utiliza cinco criterios independientes que relacionan aspectos de la pérdida poblacional y la declinación del rango de distribución. Una especie es asignada a una categoría de amenaza si cumple el umbral cuantitativo por lo menos para un criterio. Los criterios, las reglas acompañantes y las directrices utilizadas por la UICN tienen la intención de incrementar la consistencia, transparencia y validez de su sistema de clasificación, pero requiere algunos compromisos que afectan la aplicabilidad del sistema y las listas de especies que resultan. En particular, se hicieron selecciones por encima de la evaluación de incertidumbre, especies poco conocidas, especies disminuidas, declinación poblacional, rangos restringidos y rareza; todas estas afectan la forma en que las listas rojas deberían ser vistas y usadas. Los procesos relacionados con la definición de prioridades y el desarrollo de las listas rojas nacionales necesitan considerar algunos de los supuestos en la formulación de los criterios. [source] Regulation of Human Myometrial Contractility During Pregnancy and Labour: Are Calcium Homeostatic Pathways Important?EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Rachel M. Tribe If we are to develop new strategies for the treatment and management of preterm and dysfunctional term labour, it is imperative that we improve current understanding of the control of human uterine activity. Despite many studies of animal pregnancy, there is a paucity of knowledge relating to the complex control of human myometrium during pregnancy. It is hypothesized that human myometrium is relatively quiescent during the majority of pregnancy and that as term approaches there is cascade of molecular events that prepare the uterus for labour. This review will consider the cellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of human myometrial activity and the modulation of these by hormonal and mechanical signals. In particular, the contribution of calcium homeostatic pathways to the control of human myometrial contractility during gestation will be discussed. [source] From the defence of the nation to the consolidation of modernity: a genealogy of corruption in Bolivia (1982,1999)INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 191 2008Sebastián Urioste Guglielmone The instruments and approach taken from the toolbox proposed by Michel Foucault are used in this first political and historical study of the constitution of knowledge relating to corruption in Bolivia between 1982 and 1999. By reflecting on the links between the discontinuity of knowledge in this phenomenon and the various strategies deployed to fight against it, a genealogy of corruption unveils the profound transformations in politics and policies that Bolivia experienced over two decades. [source] What Matters When Deciding Whether to Participate in Colorectal Cancer Screening?JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010The Moderating Role of Time Perspective According to construal level theory (CLT), the more distant an event, the more likely it is to be represented in terms of abstract (e.g., desirability) versus concrete features (e.g., feasibility). This online study tested temporal distance effects in the context of colorectal cancer screening, which is desirable in terms of detecting cancer but relatively unpleasant. Consistent with CLT, participants in the distant future condition acquired more knowledge relating to the desirability of performing the test, attached greater weight to information emphasizing the long-term benefits, and exhibited stronger intentions to use the test. These findings suggest that the temporal distance between decision-making and behavioral execution plays an important role in the construal and application of central features of health actions. [source] Review: nurses can improve patient nutrition in intensive careJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 17 2009Caroline Ros Aims and objectives., To review the literature and identify opportunities for nutritional practice improvement in the critically ill and opportunities to improve nurses' knowledge relating to enteral feeding. Background., The literature reports varying nutritional practices in intensive care. Design., Systematic review. Methods., A systematic search, selection, analysis and review of nursing, medical and dietetic primary research articles was undertaken. Fifteen studies met the selection criteria. Results., Delivery of nutrition to the critically ill varied widely. Patients were frequently underfed and less frequently, overfed. Both under- and overfeeding have been linked with unacceptable consequences including infections, extended weaning from mechanical ventilation, increased length of stay and increased mortality. Underfeeding was related to slow initiation and advancement of nutrition support and avoidable feed interruptions. The most common reasons for interrupting feeds were gastrointestinal intolerance and fasting for procedures. Certain nursing practices contributed to underfeeding such as the management of gastric residual volumes. Conclusions., Consistent and reliable nutrition support in intensive care units is hampered by a lack of evidence leading to varying nutrition practices. Factors impeding delivery of enteral nutrition were considered avoidable. A new concept of a therapeutic range of energy delivery in the critically ill has emerged implying the need for re-evaluation of energy recommendations and improved delivery of enteral nutrition. Relevance to clinical practice., This review supports the multi-disciplinary development and implementation of an evidence-based enteral feeding protocol in intensive care units as a strategy to improve adequacy of nutritional intake. Critical care nurses are well placed to improve this process. [source] A systematic review of the effectiveness of critical appraisal skills training for cliniciansMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2000Rod Taylor The aim of this paper is to undertake a descriptive systematic review of the effectiveness of critical appraisal skills training for clinicians. Of the 10 controlled studies which examined this issue and were found to meet the eligibility criteria of this review, all used a study population of either medical students or doctors in training. The studies used a variety of different intervention ,dosages' and reported a range of outcomes. These included participants' knowledge of epidemiology/biostatistics, their attitudes towards medical literature, their ability to appraise medical literature, and medical literature reading behaviour. An overall improvement in assessed outcomes of 68% was reported after critical appraisal skills training, particularly in knowledge relating to epidemiology and biostatistics. This review appears to provide some evidence of the benefit of teaching critical appraisal skills to clinicians, in terms of both knowledge of methodological/statistical issues in clinical research and attitudes to medical literature. However, these findings should be considered with caution as the methodological quality of studies was generally poor, with only one study employing a randomized controlled design. There is a need for educators within the field of evidence-based health to consider the implications of this review. [source] Methods to adjust for the interference of N2O on ,13C and ,18O measurements of CO2 from soil mineralization,RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 11 2005D. Beheydt In this paper we present an overview of the present knowledge relating to methods that avoid interference of N2O on ,13C and ,18O measurements of CO2. The main focus of research to date has been on atmospheric samples. However, N2O is predominantly generated by soil processes. Isotope analyses related to soil trace gas emissions are often performed with continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometers, which do not necessarily have the high precision needed for atmospheric research. However, it was shown by using laboratory and field samples that a correction to obtain reliable ,13C and ,18O values is also required for a commercial continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The capillary gas chromatography column of the original equipment was changed to a packed Porapak Q column. This adaptation resulted in an improved accuracy and precision of ,13C (standard deviationGhent: from 0.2 to 0.08,; standard deviationLincoln: from 0.2 to 0.13,) of CO2 for N2O/CO2 ratios up to 0.1. For ,18O there was an improvement for the standard deviation measured at Ghent University (0.13 to 0.08,) but not for the measurements at Lincoln University (0.08 to 0.23,). The benefits of using the packed Porapak Q column compared with the theoretical correction method meant that samples were not limited to small N2O concentrations, they did not require an extra N2O concentration measurement, and measurements were independent of the variable isotopic composition of N2O from soil. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Necrosis of the long process of the incus following stapes surgery: New anatomical observations,,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 4 2009Imre Gerlinger MD Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: The most frequent complication (generally recognized during revision procedures) following seemingly successful stapedotomies and stapedectomies is necrosis of the long process of the incus. This is currently ascribed to a malcrimped stapes prosthesis or to a compromised blood supply of the incus. The two-point fixation can cause a mucosal injury with a resulting toxic reaction, and also osteoclastic activity. An important aspect in the engineering of ideal stapes prostheses is that they should be fixed circularly to the long process of the incus with appropriate strength. The objective of this study was to compare current knowledge relating to the blood supply of the ossicular chain with the present authors' observations on cadaver incudes. Most of the papers dealing with this issue appeared in the mid-20th century. Methods: The published data were compared with the authors' findings gained from photodocumentation on 100 cadaver incudes. The photos were taken with a Canon EOS 20 digital camera (Canon, Inc., Lake Success, NY) with a 5:1 macro-objective. The long processes of the incudes were examined from four directions under a Leica surface-analyzing microscope (Leica Microsystems GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). Results: Analysis of the positions of the entrances of the feeding arteries (nutritive foramina) on the incudes revealed 1-4 nutritive foramina on the long processes of 48% (24) of the left-sided incudes and 56% (28) of the right-sided incudes. The positions of these foramina differed, however, from those previously described in the literature. They were mostly located not on the medial side of the incus body or on the short process or on the cranial third of the long processes, but antero-medially, mostly on the middle or cranial third. In 48% of all the incudes examined, an obvious foramen was not observed either in the body or in the long process of the incus. No relationship was discerned between the chronological age of the incus specimens and the numbers and/or locations of the nutritive foramina. In each case, the opening of the foramen was the beginning of a tunnel running obliquely and medially upward through the corticalis of the long process of the incus. The foramina are thought to be capable of ensuring a richer blood supply between the surface and the inside of the long process, allowing the arteries to run in and out. Conclusions: These observations indicate that conclusions drawn from classical anatomical works appear to need reconsideration. The present authors consider that the reason for the necrosis of the long process of the incus is not a compromised blood supply, except in some exceptional anatomical situations. They discuss the possible reasons why malcrimping may lead to necrosis of the long process of the incus. To prevent such malcrimping, attention is paid to the new generation of prostheses. Laryngoscope, 2009 [source] | |||||||||||||