Explore the vast range of titles available.

The phoretic mite assemblage of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), has not been thoroughly documented. Phoretic mites can impact fitness and population dynamics of hosts; documenting a mite assemblage may provide information on their ecological roles. We caught Douglas-fir beetles in central British Columbia, Canada, and sorted associated mites into morphospecies. Representatives of the morphospecies were DNA barcoded (CO1 barcode region), indicating at least nine operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Representatives of all OTUs were slide-mounted and morphologically identified. There was a mean of 50.5 ± 4.7 mites per beetle, with both females and males carrying similar numbers of most mite species, except for OTU B1, which was found in higher numbers on females. OTU B1, Parawinterschmidtia furnissi (Woodring) (Astigmata: Winterschmidtiidae), was found in substantially higher numbers than all other OTUs and was always clustered in large aggregations in an anterior pocket on the beetles’ subelytral surface. When this OTU was removed from the calculation, the mean number dropped to 1.3 ± 0.2 mites per beetle. The consistent high numbers of OTU B1 in conjunction with its consistent anatomical aggregation suggests an important interaction between this particular mite species and the Douglas-fir beetle.

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of a single preoperative physiotherapy session to reduce postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after upper abdominal surgery.DesignProspective, pragmatic, multicentre, patient and assessor blinded, parallel group, randomised placebo controlled superiority trial.SettingMultidisciplinary preadmission clinics at three tertiary public hospitals in Australia and New Zealand.Participants441 adults aged 18 years or older who were within six weeks of elective major open upper abdominal surgery were randomly assigned through concealed allocation to receive either an information booklet (n=219; control) or preoperative physiotherapy (n=222; intervention) and followed for 12 months. 432 completed the trial.InterventionsPreoperatively, participants received an information booklet (control) or an additional 30 minute physiotherapy education and breathing exercise training session (intervention). Education focused on PPCs and their prevention through early ambulation and self directed breathing exercises to be initiated immediately on regaining consciousness after surgery. Postoperatively, all participants received standardised early ambulation, and no additional respiratory physiotherapy was provided.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was a PPC within 14 postoperative hospital days assessed daily using the Melbourne group score. Secondary outcomes were hospital acquired pneumonia, length of hospital stay, utilisation of intensive care unit services, and hospital costs. Patient reported health related quality of life, physical function, and post-discharge complications were measured at six weeks, and all cause mortality was measured to 12 months.ResultsThe incidence of PPCs within 14 postoperative hospital days, including hospital acquired pneumonia, was halved (adjusted hazard ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.30 to 0.75, P=0.001) in the intervention group compared with the control group, with an absolute risk reduction of 15% (95% confidence interval 7% to 22%) and a number needed to treat of 7 (95% confidence interval 5 to 14). No significant differences in other secondary outcomes were detected.ConclusionIn a general population of patients listed for elective upper abdominal surgery, a 30 minute preoperative physiotherapy session provided within existing hospital multidisciplinary preadmission clinics halves the incidence of PPCs and specifically hospital acquired pneumonia. Further research is required to investigate benefits to mortality and length of stay.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ANZCTR 12613000664741.

Background Short-term recovery after colorectal surgery has been traditionally investigated through length of stay (LOS). However, this measure is influenced by several confounding factors. This study aimed to investigate the construct validity and reliability of assessing the time to achieve standardized discharge criteria (time to readiness for discharge, or TRD) as a measure of short-term recovery. In a secondary analysis, we compared sample size requirements for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using TRD or LOS as outcome measures. Methods Seventy patients participated in the construct validity study and 21 patients participated in the reliability study. TRD was defined as the number of days to achieve discharge criteria previously defined by consensus. Construct validity was investigated by testing six hypothesis based on the assumption that TRD measures short-term recovery. Reliability was calculated by comparing measures of TRD by two independent assessors. Variability estimates (standard deviations) of LOS and TRD were used for sample size calculations. Results Five of the six hypotheses were supported by the data ( p  < 0.05). Interobserver reliability was excellent (ICC 2.1  = 0.99). Sample size estimations showed that RCTs using TRD as an outcome measure require approximately 23 % less participants compared to RCTs using LOS. Conclusions The results of this research support the construct-validity and reliability of TRD as a measure of short-term recovery. Using TRD as an alternative to LOS may reduce sample size requirements in future RCTs.

Substantial progress has been made toward investigating the circumstances of child deaths, yet little is known about child deaths in U.S. immigrant families (Shanley, Risch, & Bonner, 2010; Millet, 2016). Statistics indicate that one in five children younger than the age of 18 is the child of an immigrant (Federal Interagency Form on Child and Family Statistics, 2002; Padilla, Radey, Hummer, & Kim, 2006). Despite socioeconomic disparities and acculturation challenges, the Healthy Immigrant Paradox (HIP) proposes that immigrants have better health outcomes and experience lower infant mortality rates compared to U.S. native-born families (Millet, 2016; Speciale, 2010; Taningco, 2007). The social responsibility to protect the lives of all children warrants a better understating of the circumstances of child death, specifically child maltreatment fatalities, occurring in first-generation immigrant families (FGIF) and in non-first-generation immigrant families (Non-FGIF). The researcher investigated if Healthy Immigrant Paradox (HIP) accounted for family subgroup differences between child deaths due to medical and injury causes as well as child deaths due to probable child maltreatment. Researchers then assessed if family subgroups and family risk factors (parent history of substance abuse, parent history of delinquent/criminal history, residence overcrowding) predicted child deaths due to probable child maltreatment between the family groups. Overall, findings provided mixed support for HIP. As expected, findings indicated there were statistically significant differences between medical and injury causes of child deaths in FGIF and Non-FIGF. There were no statistically significant differences found in child deaths due to probable child abuse and child neglect in FGIF and Non-FGIF. Yet, regression analysis revealed FGIF experienced less child mortality from probable child maltreatment than Non-FGIF. Lastly, an inverse relationship was found between all risk factors and child deaths from probable child maltreatment. Recommendations for child fatality prevention programs and future research are discussed.

Background Post-operative pulmonary complications are a significant problem following open upper abdominal surgery. Preliminary evidence suggests that a single pre-operative physiotherapy education and preparatory lung expansion training session alone may prevent respiratory complications more effectively than supervised post-operative breathing and coughing exercises. However, the evidence is inconclusive due to methodological limitations. No well-designed, adequately powered, randomised controlled trial has investigated the effect of pre-operative education and training on post-operative respiratory complications, hospital length of stay, and health-related quality of life following upper abdominal surgery. Methods/design The Lung Infection Prevention Post Surgery - Major Abdominal- with Pre-Operative Physiotherapy (LIPPSMAck POP) trial is a pragmatic, investigator-initiated, bi-national, multi-centre, patient- and assessor-blinded, parallel group, randomised controlled trial, powered for superiority. Four hundred and forty-one patients scheduled for elective open upper abdominal surgery at two Australian and one New Zealand hospital will be randomised using concealed allocation to receive either i) an information booklet or ii) an information booklet, plus one additional pre-operative physiotherapy education and training session. The primary outcome is respiratory complication incidence using standardised diagnostic criteria. Secondary outcomes include hospital length of stay and costs, pneumonia diagnosis, intensive care unit readmission and length of stay, days/h to mobilise >1 min and >10 min, and, at 6 weeks post-surgery, patient reported complications, health-related quality of life, and physical capacity. Discussion The LIPPSMAck POP trial is a multi-centre randomised controlled trial powered and designed to investigate whether a single pre-operative physiotherapy session prevents post-operative respiratory complications. This trial standardises post-operative assisted ambulation and physiotherapy, measures many known confounders, and includes a post-discharge follow-up of complication rates, functional capacity, and health-related quality of life. This trial is currently recruiting. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number: ACTRN12613000664741 , 19 June 2013.

Burnout has traditionally been thought to result from unrealistically high expectations although research has provided only equivocal support. We explored the impact of cognitive adaptation disposition, including mastery, optimism, and self-esteem, on the expectations-burnout relationship. Nurses (N = 341) who were recruited at professional conferences completed questionnaires that assessed cognitive adaptation, burnout, and initial and current expectations of control. As expected, cognitive adaptation predicted fewer unmet expectations of control, which in turn predicted lower burnout. In addition, optimism and self-esteem predicted lower burnout regardless of perceived initial expectations, whereas mastery lessened the negative consequences of initially high expectations on burnout.

The phoretic mite assemblage of the Douglas-fir beetle, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has not been as thoroughly documented as that of some other ecologically and economically important bark beetle species. Phoretic mites can impact individual fitness and population dynamics of their hosts and documenting the mite assemblage associated with a bark beetle may provide information on their ecological and interactive roles. We caught Douglas-fir beetles over two summers in central British Columbia, Canada and sorted the associated mites into morphospecies. Representatives of the morphospecies were DNA barcoded (cytochrome oxidate I barcode region) which indicated at least nine distinct Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). There was a mean of 50.5 ± 4.7 mites per beetle with both females and males carrying similar numbers of most mite species. However one OTU (Sarcoptiformes: Hemisarcoptidae) was found in substantially higher numbers than all other OTUs, and was always clustered in large aggregations in an anterior pocket on the sub-elytral surface. When B1 was removed from the mean, there were only 1.3 ± 0.2 mites per beetle. The consistent high numbers of that OTU in conjunction with its consistent anatomical aggregation suggests an important interaction between that mite species and the Douglas-fir beetle.

Sexual assault is a common occurrence on Canadian university campuses, yet women who experience sexual assault typically do not seek immediate help. This pattern of silence is problematic because when survivors talk about the assault with someone whose responses are perceived as supportive, their suffering is often alleviated (Campbell, Ahrens, Sefl, Wasco, & Barnes, 2001). This study examined the efficacy of messages designed to encourage sexual assault survivors to seek help. Community members submitted 118 messages designed to encourage help seeking to a poster contest. These were combined with 34 messages gathered from existing sources. Three of these messages were judged to be exemplary by a panel of experts. Women (n = 633) recruited through the university of Windsor and online advertisements were randomly assigned to view one of these three help seeking messages, or to a control group. Reactions to these messages were measured at one week and one month intervals. Women who experienced rape or attempted rape (n = 138) had significantly less positive attitudes, subjective norms, and intention towards help seeking, endorsed less help seeking behaviour and encouraged a friend to seek less help than participants who did not experience sexual assault (n = 186). Exposure to a poster designed to increase help seeking behaviour did not improve beliefs about help seeking and did not increase actual help seeking behaviour. Exposure to one poster did encourage hypothetical help seeking regardless of level of distress. Encouragingly, exposure to another poster did increase actual help seeking among participants with high levels of self-blame. Some improvements in hypothetical advice to a friend were noted. Findings suggest that emphasizing a message of solidarity (e.g. you are not alone) may motivate some changes in help seeking behaviour. More effective content for future posters is discussed.

Burnout has traditionally been thought to result from unrealistically high expectations although research has provided only equivocal support. We explored the impact of cognitive adaptation disposition, including mastery, optimism, and self-esteem, on the expectations-burnout relationship. Nurses (N = 341) who were recruited at professional conferences completed questionnaires that assessed cognitive adaptation, burnout, and initial and current expectations of control. As expected, cognitive adaptation predicted fewer unmet expectations of control, which in turn predicted lower burnout. In addition, optimism and self-esteem predicted lower burnout regardless of perceived initial expectations, whereas mastery lessened the negative consequences of initially high expectations on burnout.

One hundred and seventy-eight men and women were exposed to the negative Velten mood induction procedure in order to examine how individual personality characteristics contributed to differences in their responses. Personality characteristics measured were chosen based on relationships with naturally occurring depression (locus of control, emotional intelligence, neuroticism, negative attributional style, self-critical perfectionism, rumination, silencing the self score). Locus of control and silencing the self score was correlated with change in happy mood and emotional intelligence was correlated with and predicted change in happy mood, while neuroticism was correlated with and predicted change in sad mood. Differences in findings related to happy and sad mood scores and the influence of emotion regulation on the results are discussed.