To study quantitatively the relationship between immigration rate and gene flow we used 9‐year data from a willow tit Parus montanus population in a continuous forest habitat. We compared components of lifetime reproductive success, and parental survival rate between immigrant and resident (‘status’) birds by taking individual age into consideration also. Of the fitness components, survival was independent of status and sex, averaging 0.60 annually. Of the male and female breeders, on average 63.1% and 75.6%, respectively, originated from unknown natal areas, implying extensive immigration. Pair formation was nonassortative with respect to the origin of partners. The effect of status on reproductive success was significant only for females: immigrants produced larger clutches and hatched more young in all age classes studied. However, the difference between the groups diminished until fledging and the offspring produced by the immigrant females showed lower local survival rate (4.6% of the young) than did those by the residents (5.9%). Therefore, the contribution of immigrant females to the local gene pool was lower than expected on the basis of immigration rate. However, we propose that the result implies differential propensities to long‐distance dispersal rather than overall survival prospects, since we detected no quality differences suggesting reduced survival chances among descendants of immigrant females. Therefore, gene flow into the population was slightly lower than immigration rate. It is possible that immigrant females are more prone to invest in progeny that effectively disperse further to search for new vacancies. The conditions prevailing during nestling growth may be crucial in determining whether an individual will later become a resident or leave the natal area, but the genetic component of this trait should also be considered. We suggest that widespread propagules is a better strategy than philopatry for a short‐lived species to minimize the risk of losing all descendants in temporally and spatially varying conditions.

Research into supervisory effectiveness is still in its infancy. To increase the scientific rigour of future research, it would be necessary to expand and clarify the scope of these studies as well as to diversify the range of research methods on the basis of ontological and epistemological analyses.

Aim To describe burnout and factors affecting it in nursing staff. Background Burnout is a common phenomenon in nursing staff. We need knowledge of phenomena related to burnout in order to be able to properly direct measures decreasing burnout. Methods A questionnaire measuring burnout was answered by 723 nurses. The data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics and anova. Results Half of the staff had scores which indicated they were frustrated or burnt out. Personal resource variables having an influence on staff burnout were age, vocational education and years of practice. Burnout increases with age, and staff with short work experience in nursing practice experience lower levels of burnout. Staff with a secondary level education working on psychiatric wards experience especially high levels of burnout. Continuous professional education is related to lower levels of burnout if it lasts for more than 10 days over a period of 2 years. Conclusions The results of the study can be generalized only to these two Finnish hospitals. The results indicate that education, both vocational basic education and professional further education, are key factors in preventing burnout among nursing staff.

Nurses' exhaustion should be reduced in order to improve quality of care.

The remarkable vertical and radial growth observed in tree species, encompasses a major physical challenge for wood forming tissues. To compensate with increasing size and weight, cambiumderived radial growth increases the stem width, thereby supporting the aerial body of trees. This feedback appears to be part of a so-called "proprioception" (1, 2) mechanism that controls plant size and biomass allocation. Yet, how trees experience or respond to mechanical stress derived from their own vertical loading, remains unknown. Here, we combined two strategies to dissect the proprioceptive response in birch. First, we show that in response to physical loading, trees promote radial growth with different magnitudes along the stem. Next, we identified a mutant cultivar (B. pubescens cv. Elimäki) in which the main stem shows normal vertical development, but collapses after three months. By inducing precocious flowering, we generated a backcrossed population (BC1) by producing two generations in 4 years. In his scheme, we uncovered a recessive trait (eki) that segregates and genetically maps with a Mendelian monogenic pattern. Unlike WT, eki is resistant to vertical mechanical stimulation. However, eki responds normally to the gravitropic stimulus by making tension wood. Before the collapse, cell size in eki is compromised resulting in radial growth defects, depending on stem height. Cell walls of developing xylem and phloem tissues have delayed differentiation in eki, and its tissues are softer compared to WT as indicated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The transcriptomic profile of eki highlighted the overlap with that of the Arabidopsis response to touch. Taken together, our results suggest that the mechanical environment and cell wall properties of developing woody tissues, can significantly affect the growth responses to vertical loading thereby compromising their proprioceptive capacity. Additionally, we introduce a fast forward genetics strategy to dissect complex phenotypes in trees.