Skinks on a Plane: Does Human-Mediated Transportation Impact the Behaviour of an Invasive Lizard?

The human-mediated transportation of stowaway individuals to non-native regions is a major driver of new biological invasions, and the post-establishment spread of the invader in its introduced range. In order for the stowaway individuals to successfully establish in the non-native region, they must survive the harsh conditions during the journey (e.g.

Acclimation of thermal physiology to new basking regimes in a widespread Australian skink.

Changes in thermal environments are a challenge for many ectotherms, as they would have to acclimate their physiology to new thermal environments to maintain high-levels of performance. Time spent basking is key for many ectothermic animals to keep their body temperature within optimal thermal ranges. However, little is known about the impact of changes in basking time on the thermal physiology of ectothermic animals.

Biological invasions as a selective filter driving behavioral divergence.

Biological invasions are a multi-stage process (i.e., transport, introduction, establishment, spread), with each stage potentially acting as a selective filter on traits associated with invasion success.

How do the physiological traits of a lizard change during its invasion of an oceanic island?

Physiology is crucial for the survival of invasive species in new environments. Yet, new climatic conditions and the limited genetic variation found within many invasive populations may influence physiological responses to new environmental conditions. Here, we studied the case of the delicate skinks (Lampropholis delicata) invading Lord Howe Island (LHI), Australia.

Avian predation intensity as a driver of clinal variation in colour morph frequency.

Phenotypic variation provides the framework for natural selection to work upon, enabling adaptive evolution. One of the most discernible manifestations of phenotypic variability is colour variation. When this variation is discrete, genetically based colour pattern morphs occur simultaneously within a population.

Does personality influence learning? A case study in an invasive lizard.

Learning is a change in state resulting from new experiences enabling behavioural responses to be adjusted in alignment with external cues. Individuals differ in the speed and accuracy at which they learn. Personality has been postulated as being a major influence on learning ability in terms of attention and encounter rates of environmental cues.

Thermal physiology: A new dimension of the pace-of-life syndrome.

Current syndrome research focuses primarily on behaviour with few incorporating components of physiology. One such syndrome is the pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) which describes covariation between behaviour, metabolism, immunity, hormonal response, and life-history traits. Despite the strong effect temperature has on behaviour, thermal physiology has yet to be considered within this syndrome framework.

Repeatability and correlation of physiological traits: Do ectotherms have a "thermal type"?

Across a range of taxa, individuals within a species differ in suites of correlated traits. These trait complexes, known as syndromes, can have dramatic evolutionary consequences as they do not evolve independently but rather as a unit. Current research focuses primarily on syndromes relating to aspects of behavior and life history.

The effect of skin reflectance on thermal traits in a small heliothermic ectotherm.

Variation in colour patterning is prevalent among and within species. A number of theories have been proposed in explaining its evolution. Because solar radiation interacts with the pigmentation of the integument causing light to either be reflected or absorbed into the body, thermoregulation has been considered to be a primary selective agent, particularly among ectotherms.

Nursing intervention versus usual care to improve delirium among home-dwelling older adults receiving homecare after hospitalization: feasibility and acceptability of a Randomized Controlled Trail.

Background: Delirium is an acute cognitive impairment among older hospitalized patients. It can persist until discharge and for months after that. Despite proof that evidence-based nursing interventions are effective in preventing delirium in acute hospitals, interventions among home-dwelling older patients is lacking.

Association between frailty and delirium in older adult patients discharged from hospital.

Background: Delirium and frailty - both potentially reversible geriatric syndromes - are seldom studied together, although they often occur jointly in older patients discharged from hospitals. This study aimed to explore the relationship between delirium and frailty in older adults discharged from hospitals.

Methods: Of the 221 patients aged >65 years, who were invited to participate, only 114 gave their consent to participate in this study.

Nursing discharge planning for older medical inpatients in Switzerland: A cross-sectional study.

Nursing discharge planning for elderly medical inpatients is an essential element of care to ensure optimal transition to home and to reduce post-discharge adverse events. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to investigate the association between nursing discharge planning components in older medical inpatients, patients' readiness for hospital discharge and unplanned health care utilization during the following 30 days. Results indicated that no patients benefited from comprehensive discharge planning but most benefited from less than half of the discharge planning components.

Translation and psychometric evaluation of a French version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale.

Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the reliability and the factor structure of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-French version.

Background: The patient's perspective is essential when assessing risk for adverse events at hospital discharge. Developed in the USA, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale is the only instrument that measures an individual's self-perception of readiness before leaving the hospital.

Effect Estimation of an Innovative Nursing Intervention to Improve Delirium among Home-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

Aims: Estimating the effect of a nursing intervention in home-dwelling older adults on the occurrence and course of delirium and concomitant cognitive and functional impairment.

Methods: A randomized clinical pilot trial using a before/after design was conducted with older patients discharged from hospital who had a medical prescription to receive home care. A total of 51 patients were randomized into the experimental group (EG) and 52 patients into the control group (CG).

An Intervention to Promote Breast Milk Production in Mothers of Preterm Infants.

A pilot study was conducted to estimate the effects of a breast milk expression education and support intervention on breast milk production outcomes in mothers of very and extremely preterm infants. Forty mothers of hospitalized preterm infants (<30 weeks of gestation) were randomized to the experimental intervention or standard care for 6 weeks. Duration and frequency of breast milk expressions and volume of expressed breast milk were measured daily.

Acceptability and feasibility of a breast milk expression education and support intervention in mothers of preterm infants.

Purpose: A pilot study was conducted to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a breast milk expression education and support intervention in mothers of preterm infants and study procedures.

Subjects: Forty mothers of preterm infants born at less than 30 weeks of gestation.

Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Advance care planning for institutionalised older people: an integrative review of the literature.

Background: This integrative review of the literature describes the evolution in knowledge and the paradigm shift that is necessary to switch from advance directives to advance care planning.

Aims And Objectives: It presents an analysis of concepts, trends, models and experiments that enables identification of the best treatment strategies, particularly for older people living in nursing homes.

Design: Based on 23 articles published between 1999 and 2012, this review distinguishes theoretical from empirical research and presents a classification of studies based on their methodological robustness (descriptive, qualitative, associative or experimental).

Intervention minimizing preterm infants' exposure to NICU light and noise.

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) light and noise may be stressful to preterm infants. This research evaluated the physiological stability of 54 infants born at 28- to 32-weeks' gestational age while wearing eye goggles and earmuffs for a 4-hour period in the NICU. Infants were recruited from four NICUs of university-affiliated hospitals and randomized to the intervention-control or control-intervention sequences.

Infant and maternal factors influencing breastmilk sodium among primiparous mothers.

Objective: This study identified birth events and infant/maternal factors related to breastmilk sodium (Na+) among primiparous mothers.

Subjects And Methods: Data were collected in a larger study on perceived insufficient milk among 252 breastfeeding mothers at a Canadian, French-speaking university maternal care center. Birth events and infant and maternal factors were collected at 48 hours, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks after birth and were analyzed with bivariate and regression analysis.

Maternal touch and talk for invasive procedures in infants and toddlers in the pediatric intensive care unit.

The aim of this single-blind, randomized, crossover trial was to test the effect of Touch & Talk (T&T) for infants and toddlers less than 36 months of age (N = 65) in the pediatric intensive care unit on their physiological stability and recovery to an invasive procedure. In the T&T condition, mothers touched, sang, or told stories or rhymes to their child during an invasive procedure. In the control condition, the mothers did not have contact with their child.

[Critical review of instruments to assess pain in the non communicative brain injured persons in intensive care].

The purpose of this review is to critically appraise the pain assessment tools for non communicative persons in intensive care available in the literature and to determine their relevance for those with brain injury. Nursing and medical electronic databases were searched to identify pain tools, with a description of psychometric proprieties, in English and French. Seven of the ten tools were considered relevant and systematically evaluated according to the criteria and the indicators in the following five areas: conceptualisation, target population, feasibility and clinical utility, reliability and validity.

Hindmilk: a head start in preterm nutrition.

Background: During the neonatal period, nutrition has a crucial impact on preterm infants' survival, growth and development. Current nutritional practices for preterm infants often fail to meet their nutritional needs and thus have potential adverse consequences for their growth and development. Hindmilk represents a promising avenue to manage this nutritional challenge.

Development and evaluation of a shaken baby syndrome prevention program.

Objective: To evaluate parents' and nurses' opinions regarding the adequacy of an educational program on shaken baby syndrome: the Perinatal Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Program (PSBSPP).

Design: Qualitative and quantitative assessments in the form of interviews and questionnaires administered in French.

Setting: Two birthing institutions in Montréal, QC, Canada: a university hospital and a regional center.