Wegenot, Eigentumsgarantie und Öffentliches Interesse. Der Notweg in Deutschland und Südafrika

This a preprint of an article that appeared in J. Basedow, U. Drobnig (eds), Aufbruch nach Europa: 75 Jahre Max-Planck-Institut für Privatrecht (Tübingen, 2001), pp. 955-73

Macroinvertebrate assemblages in 25 high alpine ponds of the Swiss National Park (Cirque of Macun) and relation to environmental variables

High-altitude freshwater ecosystems and their biocoenosis are ideal sentinel systems to detect global change. In particular, pond communities are likely to be highly responsive to climate warming. For this reason, the Swiss National Park has included ponds as part of a long-term monitoring programme of the high-alpine Macun cirque. This cirque covers 3.6km2, has a mean altitude of 2,660m a.s.l., and includes a hydrographic system composed of a stream network and more than 35 temporary and permanent ponds. The first two steps in the programme were to (i) make an inventory of the macroinvertebrates of the waterbodies in the Macun cirque, and (ii) relate the assemblages to local or regional environmental variables. Sampling was conducted in 25ponds between 2002 and 2004. The number of taxa characterising the region (Macun cirque) was low, represented by 47 lentic taxa. None of them was endemic to the Alps, although several species were cold stenothermal. Average pond richness was low (11.3 taxa). Assemblages were dominated by Chironomidae (Diptera), and Coleoptera and Oligochaeta were also relatively well represented. Other groups, which are frequent in lowland ponds, had particularly poor species richness (Trichoptera, Heteroptera) or were absent (Gastropoda, Odonata, Ephemeroptera). Macroinvertebrate assemblages (composition, richness) were only weakly influenced by local environmental variables. The main structuring processes were those operating at regional level and, namely, the connectivity between ponds, i.e. the presence of a physical connection (tributary) and/or small geographical distance between ponds. The results suggest that during the long-term monitoring of the Macun ponds (started in 2005), two kinds of change will affect macroinvertebrate assemblages. The first change is related to the natural dynamics, with high local-scale turnover, involving the metapopulations characterising the Macun cirque. The second change is related to global warming, leading to higher local and regional richness through an increase in the number of colonisation events resulting from the upward shift of geographical ranges of species. At the same time the cold stenothermal species from Macun will be subject to extinctio

Permanent Housing and On-Site Nursing Care: Effects on Homeless Individuals with HIV and Other Cormorbidities

Abstract Problem. Providing housing to otherwise homeless individuals who are HIV/AIDS-positive has been demonstrated to improve control of the disease. This was a healthcare quality initiative to review the viral load and Cluster of Differentiation Protein Four positive (CD4+) counts over time of residents in an urban housing facility for HIV/AIDS-positive individuals. Also, a nurse-run clinic was introduced for residents, especially those with comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes. Methods. A repeated measures design was utilized. Viral loads and CD4+ counts were retrospectively reviewed from facility records at entrance into and five-years later at the facility. Additionally, measurements of blood pressure, blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HgbA1C) were obtained from visits to the facility’s nurse-run clinic over nine-weeks. Results. Twenty-nine residents and their families resided in the housing unit (N=29). There was no statistically significant association between housing and improved viral loads (t (2) = -.321, p = .779) and CD4+ counts (t (1) = -2.538, p = .239). Further, nurse clinic usage was low (n=6) and did not provide adequate data for analysis of blood pressure, blood glucose, and HgbA1C monitoring. Implications for Practice. There were limitations in services provided in the nurse-run clinic which may have contributed to its low utilization by the residents. Providing an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) may increase services offered and improve clinic utilization. Missed appointments, unrecorded measurements, and improperly recorded lab values contributed to missing data which may have affected data analysis. A more standardized process for record keeping might improve health maintenance

The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of macrophyte communities in thirty small, temporary ponds over a period of ten years

Ponds are important habitats within many landscapes because of the diversity of wildlife they support. This arises in part because of the heterogeneity of ecological communities found in neighbouring ponds but this variation has proved difficult to explain. Chance and unrecorded historic events have often been emphasised as explanations. This study describes the development of spatial heterogeneity and the role of historic events in the development of pond plant macrophyte communities from the ponds' creation until ten later using thirty small, adjacent temporary ponds in Northumberland. Plant communities showed significant spatial variation from the first year onwards. Metacommunity spatial patterns changed over time but even after ten years several distinct macrophyte communities persisted in different ponds. The outcome was that a greater variety of pond communities persisted than was likely if a single, larger pond had been created on the site. The spatial patterns of the plants communities were compared to spatial variation of summer dry-phase and winter inundation. Macrophyte heterogeneity appeared to result from deterministic change which would have been difficult to detect in a snap-shot survey not knowing the history of the ponds. Winter inundation showed significant spatial trends every year which mirrored the changing distribution of macrophyte communities between ponds. The proximate influence of the inundation is ultimately determined by the position of each pond in the landscape so that the marked spatial and temporal heterogeneity of plant communities was strongly influenced by small scale variation in hydrology. The results suggest that the heterogeneity of pondlife across a landscape may be deterministic when recorded over a longer time period and not due to chance, but that the determining environmental factors are highly contingent on the locality of the pond

Legal Issues in Creating PPO\u27s

The development of alternate health care delivery and reimbursement mechanisms, particularly those known as Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), raise a multitude of legal issues. Each PPO will exist in different market conditions and under different state laws. Therefore, while this Article seeks to identify and discuss the legal issues, it cannot provide definitive answers. This Article can, however, serve as a guideline or checklist for PPO analysis and provide recommendations and alternatives for dealing with the legal roadblocks that occur in the formation and operation of PPOs. This discussion will be general in nature and cannot substitute for legal advice regarding any particular factual situations encountered

Legal Issues in Creating PPO\u27s

The development of alternate health care delivery and reimbursement mechanisms, particularly those known as Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), raise a multitude of legal issues. Each PPO will exist in different market conditions and under different state laws. Therefore, while this Article seeks to identify and discuss the legal issues, it cannot provide definitive answers. This Article can, however, serve as a guideline or checklist for PPO analysis and provide recommendations and alternatives for dealing with the legal roadblocks that occur in the formation and operation of PPOs. This discussion will be general in nature and cannot substitute for legal advice regarding any particular factual situations encountered