9095 research outputs found
Sort by
Acceptability of identification and management of perinatal anxiety: a qualitative interview study with postnatal women
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum is highly prevalent but under-recognized and few women receive adequate support or treatment. Identification and management of perinatal anxiety must be acceptable to women in the perinatal period to ensure that women receive appropriate care when needed. We aimed to understand the acceptability to women of how anxiety was identified and managed by healthcare professionals.METHOD: We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 60 women across England and Scotland approximately 10 months after birth. Women were sampled from an existing systematically recruited cohort of 2,243 women who recorded mental health throughout pregnancy and after birth. All women met criteria for further assessment of their mental health by a healthcare professional. We analyzed the data using a theoretical framework of acceptability of healthcare interventions.RESULTS: Interview data fitted the seven constructs within the theoretical framework of acceptability. Women valued support before professional treatment but were poorly informed about available services. Services which treated women as individuals, which were accessible and in which there was continuity of healthcare professional were endorsed. Experience of poor maternity services increased anxiety and seeing multiple midwives dissuaded women from engaging in conversations about mental health. Having a trusted relationship with a healthcare professional facilitated conversation about and disclosure of mental health problems.CONCLUSION: Women's experiences would be improved if given the opportunity to form a trusting relationship with a healthcare provider. Interventions offering support before professional treatment may be valued and suitable for some women. Clear information about support services and treatment options available for perinatal mental health problems should be given. Physiological aspects of maternity care impacts women's mental health and trust in services needs to be restored. Findings can be used to inform clinical guidelines and research on acceptable perinatal care pathways in pregnancy and after birth and future research.</p
Response of soil micro-food web to nutrient limitation along a subtropical forest restoration
No full textForest ecosystem productivity and function is strongly influenced by the interaction between soil organisms and their resource use that can be impeded by an imbalance of ecological stoichiometry. Soil microbial communities are known to have an important role in biogeochemical cycling that is strongly influenced by ecological stoichiometry; however, there is limited understanding of how soil biota respond to stoichiometric imbalances during forest restoration. Here, we investigated the effect of forest restoration on soil physiochemical properties and the structure and function of soil biota along a chronosequence of transformation stages: (i) an early stage monoculture plantation of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) comprised of three age classes (5, 10, 20 years); (ii) mid-stage mixed conifer-broadleaved forest; and (iii) late-stage mixed species broadleaved forest in south China. The abundance and community composition of soil bacteria, fungi, protists and nematodes were investigated by real-time quantitative PCR and Miseq high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that forest restoration from C. lanceolata monocultures to mixed species broadleaved forest significantly increased soil organic carbon and total nitrogen concentration. The abundance of soil bacteria, fungi, protists and nematodes increased and the co-occurrence networks of soil biota became more complex and stable along the restoration chronosequence. In contrast, the soil nitrogen and phosphorus limitations, particularly phosphorus limitation, increased along the restoration chronosequence, and soil exoenzyme activity suggested that the microbial investment in resource acquisition shifted from C- to nutrient-acquiring enzymes from the earlier to the later restoration stages. Availability of soil resources (e.g., dissolved organic carbon, ammonium, and plant available phosphate) appeared to have an important role in regulating soil food web composition, structure and stability during forest restoration. We conclude that nutrient limitation, particularly phosphorus limitation, likely has an important role in determining the stability of soil food webs during forest restoration. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relationships between soil nutrient limitation and soil micro-food web, and have implications for carbon sequestration through forest restoration and management in southern China
Improving compliance around protected areas through fair administration of rules
Get PDFProtected area management often depends heavily on law enforcement to secure compli- ance with rules. However, this can contribute to conflict between protected area authorities and local people, negatively affecting both human well-being and conservation outcomes. Compliance is affected by many factors, including whether those who enforce rules are perceived to do so fairly, as well as the perceived rule-related behavior of others. We used factorial survey experiments to explore how fair respondents living around protected areas in Indonesia and Tanzania perceive sanctions distributed by law enforcers to be. We pre- sented scenarios to respondents to assess how crime type, offender characteristics, and corruption influenced their judgments regarding the fairness of administered sanctions. We also assessed how descriptive norms and corruption influenced individuals’ willing- ness to obey protected area rules. Data were collected from 229 people in Indonesia and 217 in Tanzania. Results showed that in both locations, lawful sanctions, such as arrests or warnings, were perceived as fairer, and sanctions that involved corruption were perceived as least fair. Attitudes toward protected area rules, corruption, and descriptive norms all influenced people’s willingness to comply, whereas multidimensional poverty did not. Our results highlight the need for conservation policy and practice to move beyond narratives that focus on the need for more law enforcement. To improve protected area compliance and secure better outcomes for people and nature, conservation must focus on ensuring the fair administration of rules and enhancing the legitimacy of rules themselves
Co(II)-doped hybrid Zn(II) tetraborate complexes, [ZnxCo(1-x)(1,3-dap)B4O7] (1,3-dap = 1,3-diaminopropane): BET analysis and N2/H2O/D2O adsorption studies
Get PDFA series of hybrid tetraborates [ZnxCo(1−x)(1,3-dap)B4O7] were synthesized. This study demonstrates that [ZnxCo(1−x)(1,3-dap)B4O7] exhibits a higher adsorption affinity for H2O compared to D2O, leading to an enrichment of D2O content in mixtures of H2O and D2O
Developing a method for assessing the relative abundance of red squirrels in low-density populations
Get PDFRed squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) populations have steadily declined in the UK due to habitat loss and, over the last 150 years, as a result of competition from the invasive American grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). The estimated red squirrel population stands at approximately 140,000 individuals, with as few as 1,000 to 1,500 remaining in the priority conservation areas of Wales (Anglesey, Clocaenog and Mid Wales). In the 1990s, Clocaenog Forest in North Wales had a red squirrel density comparable to other upland coniferous forests in the UK. However, recent monitoring indicates a significant decline over the past two decades. This decline coincides with the establishment of grey squirrels in the 1980s.The study aimed to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of camera traps in detecting red squirrels at low densities, 2) investigate their occupancy and habitat preferences across Clocaenog Forest, 3) identify challenges in monitoring low-density red squirrel populations, and 4) provide recommendations for a reliable, cost-effective monitoring strategy suitable for volunteer implementation. GIS data were used to delineate forest management units categorised by age of the trees and species composition. A stratified random sampling strategy selected 60 camera locations across conifer stands in three age categories (< 20 years, 20-40 years and 40+ years). Twenty cameras were deployed for 10 days during three independent surveys (November 2023 – January 2024). Each site was ground-baited with sunflower seeds and hazelnuts for seven days before camera activation.The initial survey, totalling 590 camera days, did not detect any red squirrels but recorded grey squirrels and pine marten (Martes martes) at several sites. A secondary targeted survey of 200 camera-days in a favoured habitat type (40+ years old coniferous stands) detected red and grey squirrels at two sites each. Our findings indicate a significantly low population density of red squirrels within the forest, with the species likely absent from many areas.The methodology used here proved effective in other forested regions of North Wales, suggesting that the lack of detections in Clocaenog reflects genuinely low red squirrel numbers rather than flaws in the approach. Research is needed to understand what is limiting red squirrel expansion. Potential drivers include habitat structure, tree species composition, coning cycle patterns and the presence of grey squirrels, which could be further exacerbated by localised predation pressure, road traffic mortality and poor weather conditions. Suggested management actions may include intensified grey squirrel control, reinforcement of red squirrel populations and changes in forest management practices. A consistent monitoring scheme, combining volunteer and professional efforts, is essential for tracking the status of the red squirrel population and determining the efficacy of these conservation measures
Capitalising on the Slate Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site and the development of sustainable tourism in Northwest Wales
Get PDFBrain potentials reveal reduced sensitivity to negative content during second language production
Get PDFPrior research suggests that bilinguals show reduced sensitivity to negative content when operating in the second language (L2). The available evidence, however, is limited to language comprehension. We tested the production of emotional words in Polish (L1)–English (L2) bilinguals in two EEG studies that manipulated emotional cueing. In Experiment 1 (neutral context), white or black circles indicated whether participants should read aloud (shadow) or translate a subsequently presented word. N400 amplitudes were selectively reduced for negative L2 words regardless of the task. In Experiment 2 (emotional context), we used black or white emojis, either sad or neutral, as cues. The previous interaction between word valence and language of operation vanished, but late positive potential amplitudes elicited by negative words were larger for translation from L2 to L1 (i.e., production in Polish) than L1 to L2. These results validate and extend to production previous findings of attenuated emotional response in L2 comprehension
Soil metabolomics - current challenges and future perspectives
Get PDFSoil is an extremely complex and dynamic matrix, in part, due to the wide diversity of organisms living within it. Soil organic matter (SOM) is the fundamental substrate on which the delivery of ecosystem services depends, providing the metabolic fuel to drive soil function. As such, studying the soil metabolome (the diversity and concentration of low molecular weight metabolites), as a subset of SOM, holds the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the behaviour, fate, interaction and functional significance of small organic molecules in soil. Encompassing a wide range of chemical classes (including amino acids, peptides, lipids and carbohydrates) and a large number of individual molecules (ca. n = 105 to 106), the metabolome is a resultant (indirect) output of several layers of a biological hierarchy, namely the metagenome, metatranscriptome and metaproteome. As such, it may also provide support and validation for these “multi-omics” datasets. We present a case for the increased use of untargeted metabolomics in soil biochemistry, particularly for furthering our fundamental understanding of the functions driving SOM composition and biogeochemical cycling. Further, we discuss the scale of the challenge in terms of metabolite extraction, analysis and interpretation in complex plant-soil-microbial systems. Lastly, we highlight key knowledge gaps which currently limit our use of metabolomic approaches to better understand soil processes, including: (i) interpretation of large untargeted metabolomic datasets; (ii) the source, emission and fate of soil-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs), (iii) assessing temporal fluxes of metabolites, and (iv) monitoring ecological interactions in the rhizosphere. While the application of metabolomics in ecosystem science is still in its relative infancy, its importance in understanding the biochemical system in relation to regulation, management and underpinning the delivery of ecosystem services is key to further elucidating the complex links between organisms, as well as the fundamental ability of the biological community to process and cycle key nutrients
Sex differences in iron status during military training: a prospective cohort study of longitudinal changes and associations with endurance performance and musculoskeletal outcomes
Get PDFThis study investigated sex differences in Fe status, and associations between Fe status and endurance and musculoskeletal outcomes, in military training. In total, 2277 British Army trainees (581 women) participated. Fe markers and endurance performance (2·4 km run) were measured at the start (week 1) and end (week 13) of training. Whole-body areal body mineral density (aBMD) and markers of bone metabolism were measured at week 1. Injuries during training were recorded. Training decreased Hb in men and women (mean change (–0·1 (95 % CI –0·2, –0·0) and –0·7 (95 % CI –0·9, –0·6) g/dl, both P < 0·001) but more so in women (P < 0·001). Ferritin decreased in men and women (–27 (95 % CI –28, –23) and –5 (95 % CI –8, –1) µg/l, both P ≤ 0·001) but more so in men (P < 0·001). Soluble transferrin receptor increased in men and women (2·9 (95 % CI 2·3, 3·6) and 3·8 (95 % CI 2·7, 4·9) nmol/l, both P < 0·001), with no difference between sexes (P = 0·872). Erythrocyte distribution width increased in men (0·3 (95 % CI 0·2, 0·4)%, P < 0·001) but not in women (0·1 (95 % CI –0·1, 0·2)%, P = 0·956). Mean corpuscular volume decreased in men (–1·5 (95 % CI –1·8, –1·1) fL, P < 0·001) but not in women (0·4 (95 % CI –0·4, 1·3) fL, P = 0·087). Lower ferritin was associated with slower 2·4 km run time (P = 0·018), sustaining a lower limb overuse injury (P = 0·048), lower aBMD (P = 0·021) and higher beta C-telopeptide cross-links of type 1 collagen and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (both P < 0·001) controlling for sex. Improving Fe stores before training may protect Hb in women and improve endurance and protect against injury
Predicting Language Outcomes in Bilingual Children with Down Syndrome
Get PDFContinuous approaches to measuring bilingualism have recently emerged as a means of understanding individual variation in lan-guage abilities. To date, limited information is available to assist in understanding the language abilities of bilingual children with Down syndrome (DS), who are specifically known to have a large variation in linguistic outcomes. Group studies in this population report that children exposed to two languages do not differ from their monolingual counterparts after considering age and non- verbal cognitive abilities, although no study to date has examined the relationship between the amount of exposure to one language and the linguistic abilities in the other language within this popula-tion. This study sought to identify whether exposure to an addi-tional language, specifically Welsh, predicted linguistic abilities in the majority language, in this case, English. Sixty-five children between the ages of 5;5–16;9 who had varied linguistic experiences completed a range of cognitive and linguistic assessments. Results from hierarchical regression analyses show that the amount of exposure to Welsh had no impact on language abilities in English, after controlling for non-verbal cognitive abilities, short-term mem-ory and socioeconomic status. This demonstrates that exposure to an additional language does not have a negative impact on lan-guage development, a finding that has important clinical and edu-cational implications