La Trobe University

About: La Trobe University is a education organization based out in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 13370 authors who have published 41291 publications receiving 1138269 citations. The organization is also known as: LaTrobe University & LTU.

Identifying effective psychological treatments for insomnia: A meta-analysis.

Abstract: Insomnia is a debilitating and widespread complaint. Concern over the iatrogenic effects of pharmacological therapies has led to the development of several psychological treatments for insomnia. To clarify the effects of these treatments, 66 outcome studies representing 139 treatment groups were included in a meta-analysis. The results indicated that psychological treatments produce considerable enhancement of both sleep patterns and the subjective experience of sleep. In terms of enhancing sleep onset, active treatments were all superior to placebo therapies but did not differ greatly in efficacy. Greater therapeutic gains were available for participants who were clinically referred and who were not regular users of sedative hypnotics. Future research directions are suggested.

Productivity Is a Poor Predictor of Plant Species Richness

Abstract: For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account for methodological differences among studies. We addressed such concerns by conducting standardized sampling in 48 herbaceous-dominated plant communities on five continents. We found no clear relationship between productivity and fine-scale (meters−2) richness within sites, within regions, or across the globe. Ecologists should focus on fresh, mechanistic approaches to understanding the multivariate links between productivity and richness.

Movement Disorders in People With Parkinson Disease: A Model for Physical Therapy

Abstract: People who are diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) experience movement disorders that, if not managed, can lead to considerable disability. The premise of this perspective is that physical therapy for people with PD relies on clinicians having: (1) up-to-date knowledge of the pathogenesis of movement disorders, (2) the ability to recognize common movement disorders in people with PD, (3) the ability to implement a basic management plan according to a person's stage of disability, and (4) problem-solving skills that enable treatment plans to be tailored to individual needs. This article will present a model of physical therapy management for people with idiopathic PD based on contemporary knowledge of the pathogenesis of movement disorders in basal ganglia disease as well as a review of the evidence for physical therapy interventions. The model advocates a task-specific approach to training, with emphasis on treating people with PD-related movement disorders such as hypokinesia and postural instability within the context of functional tasks of everyday living such as walking, turning over in bed, and manipulating objects. The effects of medication, cognitive impairment, the environment, and coexisting medical conditions are also taken into consideration. An argument is put forward that clinicians need to identify core elements of physical therapy training that apply to all people with PD as well as elements specific to the needs of each individual. A case history is used to illustrate how physical therapy treatment is regularly reviewed and adjusted according to the changing constellation of movement disorders that present as the disease progresses.

Inference by eye: reading the overlap of independent confidence intervals.

Abstract: When 95 per cent confidence intervals (CIs) on independent means do not overlap, the two-tailed p-value is less than 005 and there is a statistically significant difference between the means However, p for non-overlapping 95 per cent CIs is actually considerably smaller than 005: If the two CIs just touch, p is about 001, and the intervals can overlap by as much as about half the length of one CI arm before p becomes as large as 005 Keeping in mind this rule-that overlap of half the length of one arm corresponds approximately to statistical significance at p = 005-can be helpful for a quick appreciation of figures that display CIs, especially if precise p-values are not reported The author investigated the robustness of this and similar rules, and found them sufficiently accurate when sample sizes are at least 10, and the two intervals do not differ in width by more than a factor of 2 The author reviewed previous discussions of CI overlap and extended the investigation to p-values other than 005 and 001 He also studied 95 per cent CIs on two proportions, and on two Pearson correlations, and found similar rules apply to overlap of these asymmetric CIs, for a very broad range of cases Wider use of figures with 95 per cent CIs is desirable, and these rules may assist easy and appropriate understanding of such figures