Open Access

Niche-based species distribution models (SDMs) play a central role in studying species response to environmental change. Effective management and conservation plans for freshwater ecosystems require SDMs that accommodate hierarchical catchment ordering and provide clarity on the performance of such models across multiple scales. The scale-dependence components considered here are: (a) environment spatial structure, represented by hierarchical catchment ordering following the Strahler system; (b) analysis grain, that included 1st to 5th order catchments; and (c) response grain, the grain at which species respond most, represented by local and upstream catchment area effects. We used fish occurrence data from the Danube River Basin and various factors representing climate, land cover and anthropogenic pressures. Our results indicate that the choice of response grain – local vs. upstream area effects – and the choice of analysis grain, only marginally influence the performance of SDMs. Upstream effects tend to better predict fish distributions than corresponding local effects for anthropogenic and land cover factors, in particular for species sensitive to pollution. Key predictors and their relative importance are scale and species dependent. Consequently, choosing proper species dependent spatial scales and factors is imperative for effective river rehabilitation measures.

Die aufsuchende Versorgung in der Zeit nach der Geburt eines Kindes ist eine wichtige gesundheitliche Dienstleistung in einer Übergangsphase im Leben von jungen Familien. Im Mittel-punkt der vorliegenden Arbeit steht das professionelle Handeln der in der ambulanten Wochen-bettbetreuung tätigen Hebammen. Aus der Perspektive der Hebammen konnten Handlungsansätze und Entscheidungsmaxime vor dem Hintergrund veränderter Anforderungen in der Berufspraxis dargestellt werden. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, einen theoretischen Beitrag für die professionelle Gestaltung der Wochenbettbetreuung zu geben und die Bedeutung dieses komplexen Handlungsfeldes herauszustellen. Datengrundlage dieser qualitativen Studie sind offene Leitfadeninterviews mit 28 Hebammen, die über mindestens zwei Jahre Berufserfahrung verfügten und in unterschiedlichen Betreuungssettings sowie zu unterschiedlichen strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen arbeiteten. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte in zwei Erhebungsrunden von April 2013 bis Januar 2015. Die Daten wurden inhaltsanalytisch und rekonstruktiv hermeneutisch analysiert. Es zeigt sich ein Zusammenspiel von handlungsleitenden Sichtweisen, Handlungsgrundlagen und professionellen Handlungsdeterminanten. Neben konkreten Betreuungskonzepten konnten mit den vorliegenden Ergebnissen verschiedene Handlungsdeterminanten, wie die gesundheitliche Versorgung von Mutter und Kind, die Beziehungsgestaltung zwischen Frau und Hebamme, der Einbezug familialer Unterstützungsleistungen und verschiedene strukturelle Handlungsdeterminanten analysiert werden. Grundelemente der Hebammenarbeit sind die Begleitung und Beobachtung physiologischer mütterlicher Umstellungs- sowie kindlicher Entwicklungsprozesse, aus denen sich sowohl diagnostische, pflegerisch-therapeutische, praktisch-anleitende und beratende Handlungsformen als auch Handlungsformen mit psychosozialer Ausrichtung ableiten. Die Ergebnisse verweisen auf ein heterogenes Praxisfeld, welches einer breiten Expertise der Hebammen bedarf. Die professionelle Gestaltung Hebammenkundlicher Handlungsprozesse sollte im Sinne einer Praxis erfolgen, die Wissen, Können und Reflexion bewusst verbindet und die Autonomie der Lebenspraxis der Frauen und Familien respektiert. Ein genau definierter Versorgungsauftrag sowie evidenzbasierte Leitlinien und Expertenstandards könnten die Hebammen unterstützen, ihre Ressourcen entsprechend einer bestmöglichen postnatalen Versorgung von Frauen und ihren Familien zu nutzen.

Rationale: Three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis has proved helpful in the diagnosis of different musculoskeletal syndromes and identifying injurious movement patterns in high string players. Furthermore, an optoelectronic 3D motion capture system allows an accurate and objective assessment of upper body posture and motion during violin and viola performance. However, no reference upper body model of high string players has been proposed as yet. Moreover, a more physiological shoulder model that separates the joints of the shoulder complex has not been reported. Especially in view of given the role of the scapula in the normal movement of the humerus, it cannot be disregarded when evaluating musculoskeletal strain in the shoulder. The International Society of Biomechanics recommends definitions of joint coordinate systems for the report of upper body joint motion using anatomical landmarks as reference for the placement of surface markers. Using markers on the skin for some of the proposed locations is, however, inappropriate when an instrument is being played. There are skin movement artifacts, e. g. caused by the movement of the scapula underneath the skin, whereas some markers interfere with the instrument on the shoulder or might be occluded by the bowing arm in motion. Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a marker-based method for quantifying 3D upper body kinematics of high string players and to demonstrate its clinical feasibility in violin and viola performance. The method is intended to provide an objective evaluation of high string players’ motor strategies, especially in the shoulder complex, while minimizing skin movement artifacts, marker occlusions and limitations in instrument placement. Methods: A custom marker set was developed consisting of thirty-one single markers to define the anatomical coordinate systems of sixteen upper body segments including the pelvis, thorax, spine and head, as well as both scapulae, upper arms, forearms and hands. Twenty-one of these markers as well as two pre-built and four custom-made rigid marker clusters were used for tracking the segment motions. Twelve professional violinists without history of musculoskeletal or neurological problems were recruited for assessing the clinical feasibility of the method. They were asked to perform a single sequence of two consecutive musical notes on each of two adjacent strings (G- and D-string) in real time, played at 50 bpm with tempo audibly regulated by a metronome, and using a standardized violin and bow. The participants played up- and down-bow alternately using the whole length of the bow. A custom biomechanical model was applied to the motion capture data and the rotation angles of fifteen joints were calculated. The location of each glenohumeral joint rotation center was computed by upper arm movements with respect to the scapula based on a functional method. For a description of the motion patterns, minimum, maximum and range of angular motion were averaged across participants for each string and rotation. Inter-subject variability was assessed by calculating the standard deviation (SD) at each sample of the angle-time series between participants for each rotation and for both strings. Then SD was averaged over sequences for each rotation and string. For comparing mean rotation angles between strings over time, random effect models were used. Results: The highest range of motion was observed in the right elbow flexion and right wrist flexion/extension. Also, high ranges of motion (> 10°) were found in all right glenohumeral rotations and right wrist deviation and pronation/supination. In conclusion, lumbar and thoracic spine, thorax, neck, and left upper limb were quite static, while large motion occurred in the right upper limb during up and down bowing. Most rotation angles showed a reasonable inter-subject variability except for left and right glenohumeral plane of elevation as well as left glenohumeral internal/external rotation, and left and right wrist pronation/supination (> 10°). Significant differences in the rotation angles between G- and D-string bowing were detected especially in the left wrist and right shoulder joints. Conclusions: This is the first study that used quantitative 3D analysis to explore the upper body kinematics of high string players during performance, providing a detailed view of the motor control in the shoulder as well as in the lumbar and thoracic spine. The biggest advantage over previously published methods is the more physiological shoulder and spine models while providing a simple application. The method was found to give consistent motion patterns across participants and to be sensitive to differences between adjacent strings. Although the method appears to be valid, more rigorous validation is necessary. Since there is no gold standard with which we could compare results, we were only able to assess the clinical feasibility. We believe that our method represents a good compromise between accuracy and practicability for clinical application. Due to the inclusion of multi-segmented shoulder and spine models, it will improve understanding of the motor strategies adopted by high string players and may contribute to injury prevention, diagnosis and treatment.