Ontogenetic shifts in the nesting behaviour of female crocodiles.

Body size and age are crucial factors influencing reproductive capacity and success. As females grow, their reproductive investment and success often increase due to improved overall physiological condition and experience gained through successive reproductive events. While much of this work has been conducted on birds and mammals, surprisingly little is known on how body size affects nesting decisions in other long-lived vertebrates. We monitored the movements and nesting behaviour of 57 wild female estuarine crocodiles Crocodylus porosus over a 10-year period (and across consecutive nesting seasons) using externally mounted satellite tags, implanted acoustic transmitters and a network of submerged acoustic receivers. Applying Hidden Markov models to the telemetry-derived location data revealed that female nesting behaviours could be split into three distinct states: (i) ranging movements within home ranges and at nesting sites; (ii) migrations to and from nesting sites; (iii) and nesting/nest guarding. We found that during migration events, larger females migrated further and remained away from dry season territories for longer periods than smaller individuals. Furthermore, not only were migratory movements stimulated by increases in rainfall, larger females migrated to nest sites at lower rainfall thresholds than smaller females. We provide some of the first evidence of body size influencing nesting decisions in an ectothermic vertebrate, with shifts likely resulting from an increased willingness to invest in nest protection among larger and more experienced females.

Patients' views on bedside nursing handover: creating a space to connect.

A study was undertaken to explore patients' experiences and perceptions associated with implementation of bedside nursing handover. Interviews were conducted with patients and analyzed using a directed content analysis. Three themes emerged through which patients described their experience with bedside nursing handover as follows: (1) creating a space for personal connection; (2) "bumping up to speed"; and (3) varying preferences. Health care leaders and nurses can use study findings to tailor strategies to engage patients, taking into account their preferences, in bedside nursing handover.

Home range utilisation and long-range movement of estuarine crocodiles during the breeding and nesting season.

The estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the apex-predator in waterways and coastlines throughout south-east Asia and Australasia. C. porosus pose a potential risk to humans, and management strategies are implemented to control their movement and distribution. Here we used GPS-based telemetry to accurately record geographical location of adult C. porosus during the breeding and nesting season. The purpose of the study was to assess how C. porosus movement and distribution may be influenced by localised social conditions. During breeding, the females (2.92 ± 0.013 metres total length (TL), mean ± S.E., n = 4) occupied an area<1 km length of river, but to nest they travelled up to 54 km away from the breeding area. All tagged male C. porosus sustained high rates of movement (6.49 ± 0.9 km d(-1); n = 8) during the breeding and nesting period. The orientation of the daily movements differed between individuals revealing two discontinuous behavioural strategies. Five tagged male C. porosus (4.17 ± 0.14 m TL) exhibited a 'site-fidelic' strategy and moved within well-defined zones around the female home range areas. In contrast, three males (3.81 ± 0.08 m TL) exhibited 'nomadic' behaviour where they travelled continually throughout hundreds of kilometres of waterway. We argue that the 'site-fidelic' males patrolled territories around the female home ranges to maximise reproductive success, whilst the 'nomadic' males were subordinate animals that were forced to range over a far greater area in search of unguarded females. We conclude that C. porosus are highly mobile animals existing within a complex social system, and mate/con-specific interactions are likely to have a profound effect upon population density and distribution, and an individual's travel potential. We recommend that impacts on socio-spatial behaviour are considered prior to the implementation of management interventions.

The value of bedside shift reporting enhancing nurse surveillance, accountability, and patient safety.

A study was undertaken to explore nurses' experiences and perceptions associated with implementation of bedside nurse-to-nurse shift handoff reporting. Interviews were conducted with nurses and analyzed using directed content analysis. Two themes emerged that illustrated the value of bedside shift reporting. These themes included clarifying information and intercepting errors and visualizing patients and prioritizing care. Nurse leaders can leverage study findings in their efforts to embed nurse-to-nurse bedside shift reporting in their respective organizations.