16119 research outputs found
Sort by
A continuous feast of bramble: Rubus fruticosus agg. is a key cross-seasonal dietary resource for a fallow deer population
Get PDFContext: Deer (Cervidae) populations are increasing in many global regions, leading to concerns about their impacts on temperate forests. Advancing evidence-based management requires a detailed understanding of the dietary habits of deer and how these are shaped by resource availability. Methodology: We studied the diet of fallow deer (Dama dama) in North Wales (United Kingdom), using faecal DNA metabarcoding. Samples were collected monthly from three woodlands during 2019–2021. Tree surveys and seasonal ground flora surveys were conducted in these woodlands and seven additional woodlands. Preference analyses were used to assess the consumption of plant taxa relative to their availability. Results: The fallow deer consumed high proportions of bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.) across the seasons, especially in the winter months. Diet diversity was significantly lower in winter compared to the other seasons, suggesting that the deer were bulk foraging on a widely available, predictable resource to conserve energy during winter. Grasses did not form a major component of the diet in any season. The preference analysis showed that spatially clustered woody taxa (e.g. Betula sp., Corylus sp. and Fraxinus sp.) occurred less often than expected in the diet, while widespread woody species occurred in the diet more often than expected (e.g. Rosa sp., Prunus sp. and Quercus sp.). Practical implication: The expansion of deer populations in the United Kingdom has occurred alongside the recovery and maturation of degraded or planted forests since the middle of the 20th century. Despite reduced light availability in these closed-canopy forests and increased herbivory pressure, bramble has remained a dominant understory plant compared to other less herbivory-tolerant plant species. Perhaps as a consequence, bramble has become the winter survival resource for this fallow deer population, remaining a prominent dietary component throughout the year. With increasing disturbance from extreme weather and tree diseases leading to a more open canopy structure, bramble cover is set to increase in European forests, which could support further expansion of deer populations. As we work to expand tree cover and enhance forest resilience and biodiversity, we should seek to understand the dynamic interactions of increasing deer populations with rapidly changing treescapes
Explaining rising caesarean section rates in urban Nepal: A mixed-methods study.
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Caesarean section (CS) rates are rising in urban hospitals in Nepal. However, the reasons behind these rising rates are poorly understood. Therefore, this study explores factors contributing to rising CS rates in two urban hospitals as well as strategies to make rational use of CS. METHODS: This cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in 2021 in two hospitals, one public hospital and one private one in Kathmandu. The quantitative part included a record-based study of 661 births (private hospital = 276 and public hospital = 385) for the fiscal year 2018/19. The qualitative part included semi-structured interviews with 14 health professionals (doctors, nurses & midwives) and five key informants from relevant organisations and four focus group discussions with pregnant women in antenatal clinics in two hospitals. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS v28. Qualitative data were organised through NVivo v12 and thematically analysed. RESULTS: The overall CS rate was high (50.2%). The CS rate in the private hospital was almost double than that in the public hospital (68.5% vs. 37.1%). Previous CS was the leading indication for performing CS. Non-medical indications were maternal request (2.7%) and CS for non-specified reasons (5.7%). The odds of CS were significantly higher in the private hospital; women aged 25 years and above; having four or more antenatal clinic visits; breech presentation; urban residency; high caste; gestational age 37-40 weeks; spontaneous labour and no labour. Robson group 5 (13.9%) was the largest contributor to overall CS rate, followed by group 1 (13.4%), 2 (8.8%), 3 (4.4%) and 6 (2.9%). Similarly, the risk of undergoing CS was high in Robson groups 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9. The qualitative analysis yielded five key themes affecting rising rates: (1) medical factors (repeated CS, complicated referral cases and breech presentation); (2) socio-demographic factors (advanced age mother, precious baby and defensive CS); (3) financial factors (income for private hospitals); (4) non-medical factors (maternal request); and (5) health service-related factors (lack of awareness/midwives/resources, urban centralised health facilities and lack of appropriate policies and protocols). Four main strategies were identified to stem the rise of CS rates: (1) provide adequate resources to support care in labour and birth (midwives/trained staff & birthing centres); (2) raise awareness on risks and benefits mode of childbirth (antenatal education/counselling and public awareness); (3) reform CS policies/protocols; and (4) promote physiological birth. CONCLUSION: The high CS rate in the private hospital reflects the medicalisation of childbirth, a public health issue which needs to be urgently addressed for the health benefits of both mother and baby. Multiple factors affecting rising CS rates were identified in urban hospitals. This study provides insights into factors affecting the rising CS rate and suggests that multiple strategies are required to stem the rise of CS rates and to make rational use of CS in urban hospitals
Age-related changes in attentional selection: revealing processes underlying the degradation of task set quality.
Get PDFThe present study further explored the age-related changes in attentional selection, first reported by Jackson and Balota Jackson and Balota (Psychology and Aging 28:3, 2013). To this end, response stimulus interval (RSI) was manipulated in in a Stroop paradigm that allows to isolate different components of the overall Stroop effect. The originally reported reduction of the overall Stroop effect in short (vs. long) RSI was successfully replicated. In line with the original claim that the ability to maintain the relevant task set consistently across time is preserved in older adults, this reduction failed to interact again with age - a null result that was uniquely supported in the present study with Bayesian evidence. Although healthy aging affected all components of the overall Stroop effect, the present study further identified interference and a disproportionally larger semantic conflict effect, as being the primary mechanisms behind the larger overall Stroop effect that older adults produce compared to younger adults. These results therefore directly fuel the original conclusion of Jackson and Balota Jackson and Balota (Psychology and Aging 28:3, 2013) that age-related differences in attentional selection are due the degradation of task set quality, namely a lesser ability of older adults to control interference. The present study additionally showed this reduced control of interference directly and identified where in the processing stream it occurs. The immediate implication that challenges the dominant unitary models of Stroop performance, is that future interventions designed to boost interference control in older adults should most likely target semantic, as opposed to response conflict
Cognitive functioning in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: Slowed information processing or a deficit in attentional selectivity?
Get PDFOBJECTIVE: By addressing numerous statistical, theoretical, and methodological weaknesses of existing research on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), this study attempted to examine closely whether cognitive dysfunction in CFS patients is restricted to slowed information processing or whether it extends to less efficient attentional selectivity. METHOD: In an online study, 83 CFS patients and 83 healthy controls (all French-speaking volunteers) first completed the Multidimensional Chronic Asthenia Scale and then performed the two-to-one version of the Stroop task known to carefully measure different components of the Stroop effect including the targeted Stroop interference (i.e., prima facie indicators of attentional selectivity). RESULTS: Adequately powered analyses of raw reaction times pointed to differences in the magnitude of Stroop interference between CFS patients and healthy controls. However, these differences are entirely explained by generally slower processing speed in CFS patients. Indeed, no such differences were found when standardized (i.e., z scored) reaction times that take into account preexisting differences in processing speed were analyzed, and this absence of differences was attested-for the first time-by strong Bayesian evidence in favor of the null. CONCLUSION: Although the present study showed that attentional selectivity is not impaired in CFS patients and that their cognitive dysfunction is restricted to slowed information processing, other studies are still needed to fully understand cognitive impairments associated with CFS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Trophic differentiation between the endemic Cypriot mouse and the house mouse: a study coupling stable isotopes and morphometrics
Get PDFTwo cryptic species of mice coexist on Cyprus: the introduced house mouse and the endemic Cypriot mouse, which remained unnoticed until the beginning of the 21st century. Their trophic positions were investigated using isotopic ecology. The shape and biomechanics of the mandible provided a complementary insight into their respective diets. The Cypriot mouse exhibits generalist habits relying on various natural food resources, including invertebrates, while the house mouse exploits a broad spectrum of anthropic food resources. The Cypriot mouse has a large mandible optimized for chewing at the molars that facilitates consumption of large and hard food items presumably abundant in the natural vegetation of Cyprus. The small mandible size of the house mouse is compensated by a large masseter area and an optimization for incisor biting, making it an all-around tool for foraging on diverse non-natural items. This fine-tuning of generalist feeding behavior ensures efficient niche partitioning between the two species on Cypru
‘Understanding Domestic Violence and Abuse: Victim, Suspect and Crime Predictors of Police Outcomes’
Get PDFPurpose: Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) cases remain under-reported and under-prosecuted in the criminal justice system (CJS), with researchers frequently having limited access to raw police data. Here, a range of factors relating to DVA offences occurring between 2018 and 2020 in one large English police force were described and measured. As part of the research, it was investigated if victim, suspect and crime characteristics predicted outcome decisions, specifically charge rate, case attrition, and evidential difficulties despite victims’ support in pursuing the allegations. The number of offences meeting the DVA legal definition, and those falling outside that definition, were also explored. Methods: Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to predict the relationship between demographic information and criminal history on three coded crime outcome categories (namely, ‘charge’, ‘victim does not proceed’, and ‘law does not pursue’). Results: The dataset included 198,617 crimes, and for 94.1% of them, the suspect was not charged. Relationship type, age, crime type, and the number of victim allegations predicted all three outcomes. For instance, being partners of the victim significantly decreased the chances of a charge compared to suspects who were not partners. Conclusions: The findings are in line with evidence from the literature which highlights all-time low charge rates for DVA and high levels of victim attrition. We argue that the influence of victim/suspect characteristics and DVA-related dynamics should be considered by police personnel and members of the CJS when assessing crime reports
Contemporary treatment of crime victims/survivors: Barriers faced by minority groups in accessing and utilizing domestic abuse services
Get PDFThis research explored the experiences of LGBTQIA+, black and ethnic minority (BME), and disabled victims of domestic abuse due to the frequency of abuse in these populations and bespoke needs they may have. Data were collected via an online survey (n = 317), a focus group with professionals (n = 2), and interviews with victims/survivors of domestic abuse (n = 2). Many victims/survivors articulated difficulties in accessing support for many reasons, including individual and structural barriers such as embarrassment, stigma, shame, fear and not being aware of what support is available. Whilst good practice was reported, examples of secondary victimization towards victims/survivors by individuals, professionals and organizations were recounted. Many barriers were identified; for example, there was inappropriate provision in refuges or shelters for LGBTQIA+ groups or disabled people. Disabled victims experienced additional barriers if their abuser was also their carer. BME groups may have additional language difficulties as well as cultural stigma and pressure to stay with their abuser. Recommendations for practice include the need for enhanced multi-agency training and recognition of abuse; crime against victims/survivors being supported by someone with the same cultural background; easier access to interpreters; and more appropriate refuge or alternative housing options
Continental influx and pervasive matrilocality in Iron Age Britain.
Get PDFRoman writers found the relative empowerment of Celtic women remarkable1. In southern Britain, the Late Iron Age Durotriges tribe often buried women with substantial grave goods2. Here we analyse 57 ancient genomes from Durotrigian burial sites and find an extended kin group centred around a single maternal lineage, with unrelated (presumably inward migrating) burials being predominantly male. Such a matrilocal pattern is undescribed in European prehistory, but when we compare mitochondrial haplotype variation among European archaeological sites spanning six millennia, British Iron Age cemeteries stand out as having marked reductions in diversity driven by the presence of dominant matrilines. Patterns of haplotype sharing reveal that British Iron Age populations form fine-grained geographical clusters with southern links extending across the channel to the continent. Indeed, whereas most of Britain shows majority genomic continuity from the Early Bronze Age to the Iron Age, this is markedly reduced in a southern coastal core region with persistent cross-channel cultural exchange3. This southern core has evidence of population influx in the Middle Bronze Age but also during the Iron Age. This is asynchronous with the rest of the island and points towards a staged, geographically granular absorption of continental influence, possibly including the acquisition of Celtic languages
Unusual low-temperature ductility increase mediated by dislocations alone
Get PDFFace-centered cubic (fcc) medium- and high-entropy alloys (M/HEAs) are known to exhibit enhanced strength−ductility combination at cryogenic temperatures. These superior mechanical properties have been commonly associated with the activation of additional deformation mechanisms such as stacking faults, twinning, and/or martensitic phase transformation. Here, using in situ tensile testing with neutron diffraction, we present experimental evidence of an enhanced strain hardening in VCoNi MEA, mediated solely by dislocations instead. At 15 K, VCoNi MEA shows increased yield strength, strain hardening, and fracture strain. Analysis of the in situ neutron diffraction data demonstrates that the strain hardening in this alloy is driven by faster dislocation accumulation, without the formation of stacking/twin faults or martensite. This low-temperature behavior can be rationalized by considering the Orowan equation and challenges the conventional wisdom on strength−ductility enhancement at cryogenic temperatures in fcc M/HEAs. Our study sheds light on the influence of dislocation mobility on plastic behaviors and highlights the importance of dislocation-mediated plasticity at low temperatures
Cold Water Swimming and Pregnancy: A Scoping Review and Consensus Recommendations
Get PDFIntroduction: Cold water swimming has increased in popularity and women wish to swim throughout pregnancy. There is a lack of evidenced-based guidance to make decisions about the safety of immersion in cold water during pregnancy. Methods: Closed social media groups were asked for specific questions in relation to cold water swimming and pregnancy. This highlighted concerns including water temperature, risks to the mother and fetus, and water quality. To find evidence-based answers, a series of meetings brought together clinicians and researchers with expertise in cold water physiology, exercise physiology, fertility, obstetrics, neonatology, midwifery, water epidemiology, public health and representatives from the Open Water Swimming Society and an Open Water swimming social enterprise. Results: Published data were examined via a scoping review process and four studies and eight reports were identified. Recommendations were made with evidence graded (mostly grade 4 expert opinion). Conclusion: Research gaps highlight the need for research to enable accurate advice to determine whether it is safe for pregnant women to swim outdoors in cold water. [Note: A correction has been issued to the abstract. Please see the Additional Information field for details.