Notes and memoranda

An observation of the colour-changes of a wrasse, Labrus maculatus. The incubation of the skate-leech Pontobdella muricata. Larval lobsters at the surface. Notes on Cepola rubescens, Trachinus draco, Trigla obscura, Trygon pastinaca, Myliobatis aquila.

Nomenclature and syntaxonomic notes on some high-rank syntaxa of the European grassland vegetation

We present descriptions of a new order (Ranunculo cortusifolii-Geranietalia reuteri and of a new alliance (Stachyo lusitanicae-Cheirolophion sempervirentis) for the herbaceous fringe communities of Macaronesia and of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, respectively. A new alliance, the Polygalo mediterraneae-Bromion erecti (mesophilous post-cultural grasslands), was introduced for the Peninsular Italy. We further validate and typify the Armerietalia rumelicae (perennial grasslands supported by nutrient-poor on siliceous bedrocks at altitudes characterized by the submediterranean climate of central-southern Balkan Peninsula), the Securigero-Dasypyrion villosae (lawn and fallow-land tall-grass annual vegetation of Italy), and the Cirsio vallis-demoni-Nardion (acidophilous grasslands on siliceous substrates of the Southern Italy). Nomenclatural issues (validity, legitimacy, synonymy, formal corrections) have been discussed and clarified for the following names: Brachypodio-Brometalia, Bromo pannonici-Festucion csikhegyensis, Corynephoro-Plantaginion radicatae, Heleochloion, Hieracio-Plantaginion radicatae, Nardetea strictae, Nardetalia strictae, Nardo-Callunetea, Nardo-Galion saxatilis, Oligo-Bromion, Paspalo-Heleochloetalia, Plantagini-Corynephorion and Scorzoneret alia villosae. 

Lead concentrations in bones and feathers of the globally threatened Spanish imperial eagle

Raptors that consume game species may ingest lead fragments or shot embedded in their prey's flesh. Threatened Spanish imperial eagles Aquila adalberti feed on greylag geese in southern Spain in winter, and often ingest lead shot. We analysed bone and feather samples from 65 Spanish imperial eagle museum specimens collected between 1980 and 1999, to investigate the prevalence of elevated lead concentrations. Four of 34 birds (12%) had very elevated bone lead concentrations. All four birds were young and the concentrations were outliers to the distribution, suggesting probable exposure to lead gunshot. Excluding these elevated lead outliers, bone lead concentrations were correlated with the bird's age at death. Three of 41 feathers (7%) had elevated lead concentrations, indicative of high exposure during feather formation. When these outliers were omitted, feather lead concentration was correlated with the age of museum specimens, suggesting that a high proportion of feather lead was exogenous, deposited after specimen collection. Therefore, careful interpretation of feather lead concentrations is required to separate endogenous and exogenous lead. We discuss the potential significance of lead poisoning in Spanish imperial eagles and other raptors, and recommend measures for its reduction. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paramountcy, family rights and contested adoption: does contact with birth relatives balance the scales?

This article combines practitioner insight and research evidence to chart how principles of partnership and paramountcy have led to birth family contact becoming the expected norm following contested adoption from care in Northern Ireland. The article highlights how practice has adapted to the delay in proposed reforms to adoption legislation resulting in the evolution of increasingly open adoption practices. Adoption represents an irrevocable transfer of parental responsibility from birth to adoptive parents and achieves permanence and legal security for children in care who cannot return to their birth family. Its enduring effect, however, makes public adoption a contentious field of child welfare practice, particularly when contested by birth parents. This article explores how post-adoption contact may be viewed as reconciling the uneasy interface between paramountcy principles and parental rights to respect for family life. The article highlights the complexity of adoptive kinship relationships following contested adoption from care, and how contact presents unique challenges that mitigate against meaningful and sustainable connections between the child and their birth relatives. In conclusion, a call is made for sensitive negotiation and support of contact arrangements, and the development of practice models that are informed by an understanding of the workings of adoptive kinship.

Indoor air quality in elementary schools of Lisbon and Aveiro

Tem havido uma preocupação crescente com a qualidade do ar interior (QAI) nas escolas em muitos países. Muitos estudos epidemiológicos têm encontrado diferenças regionais entre ambientes interiores. Apesar da elevada incidência de asma e rinite na população infantil, praticamente nada se sabia sobre a QAI em escolas portuguesas. A percepção dos problemas de QAI é crucial para avaliar os riscos para a saúde e rendimento dos estudantes, e para sugerir meios de reduzir a exposição a poluentes indesejáveis. Neste estudo procurou-se obter as concentrações de poluentes de interesse em estabelecimentos de ensino do 1º ciclo de Lisboa e Aveiro, estimar o estado atual de casos de asma e rinite em escolas primárias da capital, avaliar a influência de diferentes materiais das salas de aula/construção e hábitos escolares na QAI, identificar potenciais fontes de poluentes nos interiores e exteriores das salas de aula e propor medidas mitigadoras. Catorze escolas de Lisboa foram visitadas para obter a caracterização física das construções em termos de estrutura, ventilação, materiais de acabamento, produtos de limpeza, densidade de ocupação e potenciais fontes interiores de poluição. Os estudantes foram questionados sobre os seus hábitos e sintomas respiratórios através de inquéritos do modelo ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood). Durante a primavera, outono e inverno (2008-2010), nas salas de aula e pátios, foram monitorizados, por amostragem passiva, compostos orgânicos voláteis (COVs), carbonilos e dióxido de azoto (NO2). Foram também medidos parâmetros de conforto e níveis de microrganismos. Duas escolas localizadas, uma no centro da cidade e outra na região suburbana, em Aveiro foram estudadas em 2010. Parâmetros de conforto, microrganismos, COVs, NO2, material particulado (PM10) foram medidos no interior e no exterior de ambas escolas. Os iões solúveis, carbono orgânico e elementar (OC e EC), e compostos orgânicos presentes no material particulado foram subsequentemente analisados em laboratório. Uma medida mitigadora - fitoremediação - foi avaliada na escola do centro da cidade de Aveiro em 2011. Os resultados do estudo mostraram que a QAI é pior do que a do ar exterior. Em geral, os níveis de CO2 e dos bioaerosóis excederam os níveis máximos aceitáveis para o conforto dos ocupantes estipulado pelas regulamentações portuguesas. Quase todos os COVs e carbonilos identificados mostraram razões interior/exterior (I/E) maiores que uma unidade, o que demonstra a importante contribuição de fontes interiores em todas as escolas. As razões I/E das concentrações de NO2 nunca excederam a unidade. Os níveis interiores diários de PM10 foram sempre maiores que os exteriores, exceto nos fins de semana. Após a colocação de plantas numa das salas de aula, observou-se uma redução estatisticamente significativa nos níveis de CO2, COVs, carbonilos, PM10, OC, e dos iões nitrato, sulfato, amónia, cálcio e carbonato. A possível redução dos níveis de poluentes no interior após a colocação de plantas pode representar uma solução de baixo custo para reduzir a exposição a muitos compostos, melhorar o rendimento e aumentar o bem estar dos alunos e professores em sala de aula.

Kindergarten characteristics and risk-taking behaviors in middle childhood = Caractéristiques à la maternelle et comportements de prise de risques en 6e année

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Building Blocks : Children's Literature and the Formation of a Nation, 1750-1825

«Building Blocks: Children’s Literature and the Formation of a Nation, 1750-1825» examine la façon dont la littérature pour enfants imprègne les jeunes lecteurs avec un sens de nationalisme et d'identité nationale à travers la compréhension des espaces et des relations spatiales. La thèse étudie les œuvres d’enfants par Thomas Day, Sarah Fielding, Mary Wollstonecraft, Richard Lovell et Maria Edgeworth, Charles et Mary Lamb, Sarah Trimmer, Lucy Peacock, Priscilla Wakefield, John Aikin, et Anna Laetitia Barbauld. Les différents sujets thématiques reflètent la façon dont les frontières entre les dimensions extérieures et intérieures, entre le monde physique et le domaine psychologique, sont floues. En s'appuyant sur les travaux de penseurs éducatifs, John Locke et Jean-Jacques Rousseau, les écritures pour les enfants soulignent l'importance des expériences sensorielles qui informent l’évolution interne des individus. En retour, la projection de l'imagination et l'investissement des sentiments aident à former la manière dont les gens interagissent avec le monde matériel et les uns envers les autres afin de former une nation. En utilisant une approche Foucaldienne, cette thèse montre comment la discipline est inculquée chez les enfants et les transforme en sujets réglementés. Grâce à des confessions et des discours, les enfants souscrivent à la notion de surveillance et de transparence tandis que l'appréciation de l'opinion publique encourage la pratique de la maîtrise de soi. Les enfants deviennent non seulement des ébauches, sensibles à des impressions, mais des corps d'écriture lisibles. Les valeurs et les normes de la société sont internalisées pendant que les enfants deviennent une partie intégrale du système qu'ils adoptent. L'importance de la visibilité est également soulignée dans la popularité du système de Linné qui met l'accent sur l'observation et la catégorisation. L'histoire naturelle dans la littérature enfantine renforce la structure hiérarchique de la société, ce qui souligne la nécessité de respecter les limites de classes et de jouer des rôles individuels pour le bien-être de la collectivité. Les connotations religieuses dans l'histoire naturelle peuvent sembler justifier l'inégalité des classes, mais elles diffusent aussi des messages de charité, de bienveillance et d'empathie, offrant une alternative ou une forme d’identité nationale «féminine» qui est en contraste avec le militarisme et le nationalisme patricien. La seconde moitié de la thèse examine comment la théorie des « communautés imaginées » de Benedict Anderson devient une possibilité à travers le développement du goût national et une compréhension de l'interconnexion entre les individus. Le personnage du barde pointe à la centralité de l'esprit communautaire dans l'identité nationale. Parallèlement à la commercialisation croissante de produits culturels et nationaux durant cette période, on retrouve l’augmentation de l’attachement affectif envers les objets et la nécessité de découvrir l'authentique dans la pratique de la réflexion critique. La propriété est redéfinie à travers la question des «vrais» droits de propriété et devient partagée dans l'imaginaire commun. Des cartes disséquées enseignent aux enfants comment visualiser des espaces et des frontières et conceptualisent la place de l’individu dans la société. Les enfants apprennent que des actions disparates effectuées dans la sphère domestique ont des répercussions plus importantes dans le domaine public de la nation.

Risk of Agricultural Practices and Habitat Change to Farmland Birds

Many common bird species have declined as a result of agricultural intensification and this could be mitigated by organic farming. We paired sites for habitat and geographical location on organic and nonorganic farms in Ontario, Canada to test a priori predictions of effects on birds overall, 9 guilds and 22 species in relation to candidate models for farming practices (13 variables), local habitat features (12 variables), or habitat features that influence susceptibility to predation. We found that: (1) Overall bird abundance, but not richness, was significantly (p < 0.05) higher on organic sites (mean 43.1 individuals per site) than nonorganic sites (35.8 individuals per site). Significantly more species of birds were observed for five guilds, including primary grassland birds, on organic vs. nonorganic sites. No guild had higher richness or abundance on nonorganic farms; (2) Farming practice models were the best (ΔAIC < 4) for abundance of birds overall, primary grassland bird richness, sallier aerial insectivore richness and abundance, and abundance of ground nesters; (3) Habitat models were the best for overall richness, Neotropical migrant abundance, richness and abundance of Ontario-USA-Mexico (short-distance) migrants and resident richness; (4) Predation models were the best for richness of secondary grassland birds and ground feeders; (5) A combination of variables from the model types were best for richness or abundance overall, 13 of 18 guilds (richness and abundance) and 16 of 22 species analyzed. Five of 10 farming practice variables (including herbicide use, organic farm type) and 9 of 13 habitat variables (including hedgerow length, proportion of hay) were significant in best models. Risk modeling indicated that herbicide use could decrease primary grassland birds by one species (35% decline from 3.4 to 2.3 species) per site. Organic farming could benefit species of conservation concern by 49% (an increase from 7.6 to 11.4 grassland birds). An addition of 63 m of hedgerow could increase abundance and richness of short distance migrants by 50% (3.0 to 4.8 and 1.3 to 2.0, respectively). Increasing the proportion of hay on nonorganic farms to 50% could increase abundance of primary grassland bird by 40% (6.7 to 9.4). Our results provide support for alternative farmland designs and agricultural management systems that could enhance select bird species in farmland.

Flight Paths of Migrating Golden Eagles and the Risk Associated with Wind Energy Development in the Rocky Mountains

In recent years, the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia have received interest as a site of industrial wind energy development but, simultaneously, have been the subject of concern about wind development coinciding with a known migratory corridor of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). We tracked and quantified eagle flights that crossed or followed ridgelines slated for one such wind development. We found that hourly passage rates during fall migration peaked at midday and increased by 17% with each 1 km/h increase in wind speed and by 11% with each 1°C increase in temperature. The propensity to cross the ridge tops where turbines would be situated differed between age classes, with juvenile eagles almost twice as likely to traverse the ridge-top area as adults or subadults. During fall migration, Golden Eagles were more likely to cross ridges at turbine heights (risk zone, < 150 m above ground) under headwinds or tailwinds, but this likelihood decreased with increasing temperature. Conversely, during spring migration, eagles were more likely to move within the ridge-top area under eastern crosswinds. Identifying Golden Eagle flight routes and altitudes with respect to major weather systems and local topography in the Rockies may help identify scenarios in which the potential for collisions is greatest at this and other installations.

Accessing extremes of mid-latitudinal wave activity: methodology and application

A statistical methodology is proposed and tested for the analysis of extreme values of atmospheric wave activity at mid-latitudes. The adopted methods are the classical block-maximum and peak over threshold, respectively based on the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution and the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD). Time-series of the ‘Wave Activity Index’ (WAI) and the ‘Baroclinic Activity Index’ (BAI) are computed from simulations of the General Circulation Model ECHAM4.6, which is run under perpetual January conditions. Both the GEV and the GPD analyses indicate that the extremes ofWAI and BAI areWeibull distributed, this corresponds to distributions with an upper bound. However, a remarkably large variability is found in the tails of such distributions; distinct simulations carried out under the same experimental setup provide sensibly different estimates of the 200-yr WAI return level. The consequences of this phenomenon in applications of the methodology to climate change studies are discussed. The atmospheric configurations characteristic of the maxima and minima of WAI and BAI are also examined.

Integrating archaeology and palaeoecology to understand Jê landscapes in southern Brazil

Around AD 1000, the southern Brazilian highlands witnessed a convergence of phenomena: climatic change, the abrupt expansion of Araucaria forest and the appearance of large pit-houses and monumental mound and enclosure complexes, which signal fundamental socio-political and ideological change amongst southern proto-Jê (SPJ) groups. These developments raise intriguing questions regarding the relationships between people, vegetation and climate over the last 2000 years.

COMPARISONS OF THE INTERSTELLAR MAGNETIC FIELD DIRECTIONS OBTAINED FROM THE IBEX RIBBON AND INTERSTELLAR POLARIZATIONS

Variations in the spatial configuration of the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) near the Sun can be constrained by comparing the ISMF direction at the heliosphere found from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft observations of a ""Ribbon"" of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), with the ISMF direction derived from optical polarization data for stars within similar to 40 pc. Using interstellar polarization observations toward similar to 30 nearby stars within similar to 90 degrees of the heliosphere nose, we find that the best fits to the polarization position angles are obtained for a magnetic pole directed toward ecliptic coordinates of lambda, beta similar to 263 degrees, 37 degrees (or galactic coordinates of l, b similar to 38 degrees, 23 degrees), with uncertainties of +/- 35 degrees based on the broad minimum of the best fits and the range of data quality. This magnetic pole is 33 degrees from the magnetic pole that is defined by the center of the arc of the ENA Ribbon. The IBEX ENA ribbon is seen in sight lines that are perpendicular to the ISMF as it drapes over the heliosphere. The similarity of the polarization and Ribbon directions for the local ISMF suggests that the local field is coherent over scale sizes of tens of parsecs. The ISMF vector direction is nearly perpendicular to the flow of local interstellar material (ISM) through the local standard of rest, supporting a possible local ISM origin related to an evolved expanding magnetized shell. The local ISMF direction is found to have a curious geometry with respect to the cosmic microwave background dipole moment.

Acute actions of thyroid hormone on blood vessel biochemistry and physiology

Purpose of review Description of the progress about the vascular effects promoted by thyroid hormones. Recent findings Over the past few years, a number of studies have shown that in addition to genomic effects on blood vessels, thyroid hormones exert extranuclear nongenomic effects on vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelium. These nongenomic effects occur rapidly and do not involve thyroid hormone response elements-mediated transcriptional events. In this context, the genomic and nongenomic events promoted by thyroid hormones act in concert to control the vascular hemodynamic and regulate the cardiovascular function. Summary Considering the antiatherogenic property of thyroid hormones and the rapid effects produced by this molecule as a vasodilator, including that in the coronary bed, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in its action may contribute to the development of drugs that can be clinically used to increase the known benefits promoted by thyroid hormones in cardiovascular physiology.