Numerical Response of Breeding Birds Following Experimental Selection Harvesting in Northern Hardwood Forests

Silvicultural treatments have been shown to alter the composition of species assemblages in numerous taxa. However, the intensity and persistence of these effects have rarely been documented. We used a before-after, control-impact (BACI) paired design, i.e., five pairs of 25-ha study plots, 1-control and 1-treated plot, to quantify changes in the density of eight forest bird species in response to selection harvesting over six breeding seasons, one year pre- and five years postharvest. Focal species included mature forest associates, i.e., Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) and Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens), forest generalists, i.e., Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) and Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), early-seral specialists, i.e., Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia) and Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica), species associated with shrubby forest gaps, i.e., Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens), and mid-seral species, i.e., American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). As predicted, we found a negative numerical response to the treatment in the Black-throated Green Warbler, no treatment effect in the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a positive treatment effect in early-seral specialists. We only detected a year effect in the Northern Parula and the American Redstart. There was evidence for a positive treatment effect on the Swainson’s Thrush when the regeneration started to reach the pole stage, i.e., fifth year postharvest. These findings suggest that selection harvesting has the potential to maintain diverse avian assemblages while allowing sustainable management of timber supply, but future studies should determine whether mature-forest associates can sustain second- and third-entry selection harvest treatments.

En studie av Idre Fjälls webbplats med fokus på användbarhet

Idre Fjäll currently has not full control of how visitors experience their site or if it has good usability. I have helped the company to do a usability test on their website to see how and where any improvements can be made on the page before the winter season 2010. I have also done a survey to investigate how users perceive Idre Fjälls website. Ten people of various ages participated in the survey. All test subjects was recorded with both audio and screen activity during the tests. The test consisted of five different tasks to be solved over the internet at Idre fjälls website. Nr 1, 3, 4 and 5 was solved for most without problem. In nr 2, where a booking of a house would be done, here arose a problem in nine tests out of ten. The results show that the site has very good graphic design and information design, but some weaknesses in interaction design. I have worked out proposals on the most significant problems identified during the test.

Kombinera teckenvärldar : perspektiv på multimodala examensarbeten

Syftet med denna artikel är att lyfta fram erfarenheter av ett forskningsprojekt om användande av multimodala former vid examensarbete. Det gemensamma för refererade examensarbeten är att studenterna presenterar dem både i form av en visuell representation och en skriftlig rapport. Fem högskolor har totalt ingått i projektet och undersökt olika fenomen när studenter har använt sig kombinationer av varierade gestaltande uttryck, teckenvärldar och symbolspråk för att undersöka sin forskningsfråga. Artikeln fokuserar på avsnitt av den delstudie som genomfördes vid Högskolan Dalarna inom ämnet Bild. Den exemplifierar med två av gruppens examensarbeten, som båda berör teman om funktionshinder och delaktighet. Studien tar fasta på designteori och en sociokulturell syn på lärande – och har använt tidigare forskning kring visual literacy, media literacy, mediereception och ”kultur i lärande” som led i begreppsutvecklingen. Från resultatet diskuteras aspekter kring handledning, ventileringsförfarande i offentlig miljö och respons (återkoppling), med utgångspunkt i studenternas perspektiv. Positiva aspekter, såväl som problemorienterade, berörs.

Socio-economic inequalities in women`s fruit and vegetable intakes: a multilevel study of individual, social and environmental mediators

<i>Objectivei>: This study employed a multilevel design to test the contribution of individual, social and environmental factors to mediating socio-economic status (SES) inequalities in fruit and vegetable consumption among women. <i>Designi>: A cross-sectional survey was linked with objective environmental data. <i>Settingi>: A community sample involving 45 neighbourhoods. <i>Subjectsi>: In total, 1347 women from 45 neighbourhoods provided survey data on their SES (highest education level), nutrition knowledge, health considerations related to food purchasing, and social support for healthy eating. These data were linked with objective environmental data on the density of supermarkets and fruit and vegetable outlets in local neighbourhoods. <i>Resultsi>: Multilevel modelling showed that individual and social factors partly mediated, but did not completely explain, SES variations in fruit and vegetable consumption. Store density did not mediate the relationship of SES with fruit or vegetable consumption. <i>Conclusionsi>: Nutrition promotion interventions should focus on enhancing nutrition knowledge and health considerations underlying food purchasing in order to promote healthy eating, particularly among those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. Further investigation is required to identify additional potential mediators of SES–diet relationships, particularly at the environmental level.

Just which Reality do you Mean? Users' Experiences of Virtual Spaces

Virtual Reality is a relatively new technology in the relatively young field of computer science. The design of Virtual Reality has only recently come into discussion, as well as the implications for this sort of design. I hope to determine how a user can work most efficiently and accurately in a Virtual World. By studying this, I hope to help in the standardization of Virtual Reality design.

Depression, nutritional risk and eating behaviour in older caregivers

<i>Objective i>
This study investigated the relationship between depression, nutritional risk and dietary intake in a population of older caregivers.

<i>Design i>
Mailed questionnaire with sub group participating in a home-based interview.

<i>Participants and setting i>
Seventy-six community dwelling caregivers aged 50 y or over from Victoria, Australia.
<i>
Measurements i>
Questionnaires provided information on weight, height, hours of care, depressive symptoms, nutritional risk and appetite. The home-based interview assessed dietary intake and shopping, cooking and meal consumption habits.
<i>
Results i>
The sample had a mean±SD age of 70.3±12.8 y, BMI of 27.2±4.8 kg/m2 and the time spent caring was 101.8±68.1 h/wk. Overall, 32% of caregivers had depressive symptoms, 21% were at risk of malnutrition and 21% reported their appetite was fair/bad/very bad. Caregivers with depressive symptoms (32%) compared to those with no depressive symptoms (53%) had a poorer appetite (p<0.05). Of the 20 caregivers who participated in the home interview, 25% reported they ate their meals alone.
<i>
Conclusion i>
A significant proportion of community dwelling older caregivers had depressive symptoms, were at risk of malnutrition and had poor appetites, although the majority were overweight or obese.

Mothers adjust offspring sex to match the quality of the rearing environment

Theory predicts that mothers should adjust offspring sex ratios when the expected fitness gains or rearing costs differ between sons and daughters. Recent empirical work has linked biased offspring sex ratios to environmental quality via changes in relative maternal condition. It is unclear, however, whether females can manipulate offspring sex ratios in response to environmental quality alone (i.e. independent of maternal condition). We used a balanced within-female experimental design (i.e. females bred on both low- and high-quality diets) to show that female parrot finches (<i>Erythrura trichroai>) manipulate primary offspring sex ratios to the quality of the rearing environment, and not to their own body condition and health. Individual females produced an unbiased sex ratio on high-quality diets, but over-produced sons in poor dietary conditions, even though they maintained similar condition between diet treatments. Despite the lack of sexual size dimorphism, such sex ratio adjustment is in line with predictions from sex allocation theory because nutritionally stressed foster sons were healthier, grew faster and were more likely to survive than daughters. These findings suggest that mothers may adaptively adjust offspring sex ratios to optimally match their offspring to the expected quality of the rearing environment.

Construct validity of the pictorial scale of perceived movement skill competence

<i>Objectives:i> The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC) assesses young children's perceptions of movement skill competence: 12 perceived Fundamental Movement skills (FMS; based on the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition TGMD-2) and six Active Play activities (e.g. cycling). The main study purpose was to assess whether children's movement perception scores fit within the imposed constructs of Active Play and FMS by testing the latent structure and construct validity of the PMSC.

<i>Design:i> Construct validation study.

<i>Methods:i> Participants were part of the Melbourne Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT). The latent structure of the PMSC responses was tested through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling (BSEM). Internal consistency was conducted using polychoric correlation-based alphas.

<i>Results: i>The 303 children (boys 53.1%, n = 161) were aged 4-5 years (M = 4.7, SD = 0.46). The final model had an 18 item 3-factor solution with good fit indices (using CFA and BSEM). Factors were: Active Play (Bike, Board Paddle, Climb, Skate/Blade, Scooter, and Swim), Object Control - Hand Skills (Bounce, Catch, Hit, Throw), and FMS skills with a leg action (Gallop, Hop, Jump, Leap, Run, Step Slide, Kick, Roll). Alpha reliability values were: Active Play (0.78), Object Control-Hand Skills (0.76) and FMS-Dynamic Leg (0.84).

<i>Conclusion: i>Young children can distinguish between movement perceptions. The factors reflect the hypothesized structure in terms of FMS being distinguished from Active Play. Further research should investigate how and if these constructs change in children over time.

Nature's choice? a study of the displacement of incumbents in elections

Como choques econômicos afetam eleições em democracias? Usando dados eleitorais do Congresso dos Estados Unidos, eu testo se choques adversos podem afetar desigualmente partidos incumbentes e oponentes. Esse efeito é identificado, entre vários procedimentos, por uma regressão em descontinuidade. Eu considero possibilidades teóricas para esse efeito, quando cidadãos não conseguem observar perfeitamente se a falta de bens públicos é devido a um choque adverso, ou a consumo privado do político. Quando o choque é observável, não há efeito; enquanto se não fosse, haveria. As evidências empíricas são consistentes com a teoria.

Comparison of pharmacopuncture, aquapuncture and acepromazine for sedation of horses

Pharmacopuncture, the injection of subclinical doses of drugs into acupoints reduces drug undesirable side effects, residues in animal consumption products and treatment costs in large animals. Acepromazine (Acp) produces several undesirable effects, such as hypotension. Previous studies with the injection of 1/10 of Acp dose in dog acupoints showed its advantage for sedation, minimizing undesirable effects. Eight horses were randomly submitted to four different treatment protocols according to a Latin Square double-blind design: (i) 0.1 ml kg(1) of saline subcutaneously injected at the cervical region, (ii) 0.1 mg kg(1) of Acp injected subcutaneously at the cervical region, (iii) 0.01 ml kg(1) of saline injected into GV1 acupoint (aquapuncture) and (iv) 0.01 mg kg(1) of Acp injected into GV1 acupoint (pharmacopuncture). Heart rate, respiratory rate, head height and degree of sedation were measured before and at 30, 60 and 90 min after treatments. Signs of sedation were observed in all treated groups at 30 min and only in 1/10Acp-GV1 at 60 min after the treatments. Only the group treated with 0.1 mg kg(1) of Acp s.c. had significantly lower values of head height at 30 min. Respiratory rate tended to reduce in all groups but was significantly lower only in horses treated with 0.1 mg kg(1) of Acp s.c. Heart rate remained unchanged in all groups. Acp-pharmacopuncture on GV1 in horses produced a mild sedation when compared with the conventional dose of Acp. More investigations are necessary to determine the optimal dosage of Acp-pharmacopuncture for sedation in horses.

Three-phase tri-state buck-boost integrated inverter

This paper presents a three-phase integrated inverter suitable for stand-alone and/or grid-connected applications. The usage of the special features of the tri-state coupled with the special space vector modulation allows the inverter to present an attractive degree of freedom for the controllers' design, i.e. input and output can be controlled independently. Additionally all controllers are based on dq0 transformation, the system are described and interesting simulation results are available to confirm the proposal. Finally, this paper presents experimental evaluations of the inverter feeding a three-phase stand-alone load confirming the remarkable features of the decoupling control. © 2013 IEEE.

O ensino do desenho para crianças e jovens

Through my experiences as a teacher assistant in a free course design, I seek to understand the intentions and needs of children and youth with the design, so as to work it in a more consistent as the season and wishes of each student. For this I seek aid in studies on children's drawing of Derdyk Edith and also in observing the relationships that children and young people have with the drawing held in my practice as a teacher. Still reflect on the design in some of its particulars, especially concerning the optics of some artists and scholars of the practice of drawing. At the end of the study, propose suggestions for practices to be developed with children and young people who would be various forms of working drawing with experimental forms of building graphics, aiming so that students can add these unique experiences to broaden their understanding of design as well as its arch graphic possibilities. Thus inspired, especially in Derdyk considerations about the experimental design, I can conclude that through experimentation, we can offer young people a diverse thinking design and the possibilities of conceiving it.

How teachers think about the role of digital technologies in student assessment in mathematics

This study concerns teachers’ use of digital technologies in student assessment, and how the learning that is developed through the use of technology in mathematics can be evaluated. Nowadays math teachers use digital technologies in their teaching, but not in student assessment. The activities carried out with technology are seen as ‘extra-curricular’ (by both teachers and students), thus students do not learn what they can do in mathematics with digital technologies. I was interested in knowing the reasons teachers do not use digital technology to assess students’ competencies, and what they would need to be able to design innovative and appropriate tasks to assess students’ learning through digital technology. This dissertation is built on two main components: teachers and task design. I analyze teachers’ practices involving digital technologies with Ruthven’s Structuring Features of Classroom Practice, and what relation these practices have to the types of assessment they use. I study the kinds of assessment tasks teachers design with a DGE (Dynamic Geometry Environment), using Laborde’s categorization of DGE tasks. I consider the competencies teachers aim to assess with these tasks, and how their goals relate to the learning outcomes of the curriculum. This study also develops new directions in finding how to design suitable tasks for student mathematical assessment in a DGE, and it is driven by the desire to know what kinds of questions teachers might be more interested in using. I investigate the kinds of technology-based assessment tasks teachers value, and the type of feedback they give to students. Finally, I point out that the curriculum should include a range of mathematical and technological competencies that involve the use of digital technologies in mathematics, and I evaluate the possibility to take advantage of technology feedback to allow students to continue learning while they are taking a test.

Changes in situational and dispositional factors as predictors of job satisfaction

Arguably, job satisfaction is one of the most important variables with regard to work. When explaining job satisfaction, research usually focuses on predictor variables in terms of levels but neglects growth rates. Therefore it remains unclear how potential predictors evolve over time and how their development affects job satisfaction. Using multivariate latent growth modeling in a study with 1145 young workers over five years, we analyzed how well job satisfaction is predicted a) by levels of situational (i.e., job control) and dispositional (i.e., Core Self-Evaluations (CSE)) factors and b) by growth per year of these predictors. Results showed both intercepts and slopes to be related to each other, suggesting a joint growth of job control and CSE during early careers. Job satisfaction after five years was best predicted by the slopes of job control (β = .31, p < .001) and CSE (β = .34, p < .01). These findings provide further longitudinal evidence for the role of situational as well as dispositional factors for predicting job satisfaction. In addition, growth rates per year were better predictors than initial levels. Furthermore, a lack of change in job control or CSE went along with a drop in job satisfaction, implying that young workers need to perceive things to be improving in order to increase, or at least maintain, their level of job satisfaction. In terms of theory, the relative importance of levels versus changes deserves more attention. In terms of practical implications, our results suggest a double emphasis on job design (i.e., granting sufficient, and increasing, control) and on personal development (e.g., through training) so that people experience a match between both. Finally, negative associations between initial levels and growth rates suggest that people are quite successful in achieving a reasonable fit between their job characteristics and their needs and goals.

This Wildest Year: A collection of poems and photographs

The chapbooks created in the year ending in June 2012 include eleven themed collections and three installments of “In Thirteen Moons,” which didn’t get completed till that fall. This Wildest Year brings together the poems of the eleven themed chapbooks, each as a separate chapter. I have e-published this book for three reasons. First, the chapbooks have all been printed in very limited runs, and few copies remain to be shared with friends, old and new. Second, by ordering the chapters more or less chronologically, one can more easily see themes unfold and new connections made. And finally, this e-book is a bit of an experiment, allowing me to develop skills in self-publishing and graphic design. I hope you will find it to be a successful experiment.