Size distribution of Holocene planktic foraminifer assemblages

The size of any organism is influenced by the surrounding ecological conditions. In this study, we investigate the effects of such factors on the size spectra of planktic foraminiferal assemblages from Holocene surface sediments. We analyzed assemblages from 69 Holocene samples, which cover the major physical and chemical gradients of the oceans. On a global scale, the range of sizes in assemblages triples from the poles to the tropics. This general temperature-related size increase is interrupted by smaller sizes at temperatures characteristic of the polar and subtropical fronts, at 2°C and 17°C, respectively, as well as in upwelling areas. On a regional scale, surface water stratification, seasonality and primary productivity are highly correlated with the size patterns. Such environmentally controlled size changes are not only characteristic for entire assemblage, but also for the dominant single species.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and benthic foraminifera Ammonia sp. mass, size, and growth rate during experiments, 2013

About 30% of the anthropogenically released CO2 is taken up by the oceans; such uptake causes surface ocean pH to decrease and is commonly referred to as ocean acidification (OA). Foraminifera are one of the most abundant groups of marine calcifiers, estimated to precipitate ca. 50 % of biogenic calcium carbonate in the open oceans. We have compiled the state of the art literature on OA effects on foraminifera, because the majority of OA research on this group was published within the last three years. Disparate responses of this important group of marine calcifiers to OA were reported, highlighting the importance of a process-based understanding of OA effects on foraminifera. We cultured the benthic foraminifer Ammonia sp. under a range of carbonate chemistry manipulation treatments to identify the parameter of the carbonate system causing the observed effects. This parameter identification is the first step towards a process-based understanding. We argue that CO3 is the parameter affecting foraminiferal size-normalized weights (SNWs) and growth rates. Based on the presented data, we can confirm the strong potential of Ammonia sp. foraminiferal SNW as a CO3 proxy.

Broad-scale patterns of sex ratios in Patella spp.: a comparison of range edge and central range populations in the British Isles and Portugal

Sex change, or sequential hermaphroditism, occurs in the plant and animal kingdoms and often determines a predominance of the first sex. Our aim was to explore changes in sex ratios within the range of the species studied: Patella vulgata and Patella depressa. The broad-scale survey of sex with size of limpets covered a range of latitudes from Zambujeira do Mar (southern Portugal) to the English Channel. Indirect evidence was found for the occurrence of protandry in P. vulgata populations from the south of England, with females predominating in larger size-classes; cumulative frequency distributions of males and females were different; sex ratios were biased towards males and smallest sizes of males were smaller than the smallest sizes of females. In contrast in Portugal females were found in most size-classes of P. vulgata. In P. depressa populations from the south coast of England and Portugal females were interspersed across most size-classes; size distributions of males and females and size at first maturity of males and females did not differ. P. depressa did, however, show some indications of the possibility of slight protandry occurring in Portugal. The test of sex ratio variation with latitude indicated that P. vulgata sex ratios might be involved in determining the species range limit, particularly at the equatorward limit since the likelihood of being male decreased from the south coast of England to southern Portugal. Thus at the southern range limit, sperm could be in short supply due to scarcity of males contributing to an Allee effect.

Broad-scale patterns of sex ratios in Patella spp.: a comparison of range edge and central range populations in the British Isles and Portugal

Sex change, or sequential hermaphroditism, occurs in the plant and animal kingdoms and often determines a predominance of the first sex. Our aim was to explore changes in sex ratios within the range of the species studied: Patella vulgata and Patella depressa. The broad-scale survey of sex with size of limpets covered a range of latitudes from Zambujeira do Mar (southern Portugal) to the English Channel. Indirect evidence was found for the occurrence of protandry in P. vulgata populations from the south of England, with females predominating in larger size-classes; cumulative frequency distributions of males and females were different; sex ratios were biased towards males and smallest sizes of males were smaller than the smallest sizes of females. In contrast in Portugal females were found in most size-classes of P. vulgata. In P. depressa populations from the south coast of England and Portugal females were interspersed across most size-classes; size distributions of males and females and size at first maturity of males and females did not differ. P. depressa did, however, show some indications of the possibility of slight protandry occurring in Portugal. The test of sex ratio variation with latitude indicated that P. vulgata sex ratios might be involved in determining the species range limit, particularly at the equatorward limit since the likelihood of being male decreased from the south coast of England to southern Portugal. Thus at the southern range limit, sperm could be in short supply due to scarcity of males contributing to an Allee effect.

Care home managers’ knowledge of palliative care: a Northern Irish study

Photoionization of Co+ and electron-impact excitation of Co2 + using the Dirac R-matrix method

Modelling of massive stars and supernovae (SNe) plays a crucial role in understanding galaxies. From this modelling we can derive fundamental constraints on stellar evolution, mass-loss processes, mixing, and the products of nucleosynthesis. Proper account must be taken of all important processes that populate and depopulate the levels (collisional excitation, de-excitation, ionization, recombination, photoionization, bound–bound processes). For the analysis of Type Ia SNe and core collapse SNe (Types Ib, Ic and II) Fe group elements are particularly important. Unfortunately little data is currently available and most noticeably absent are the photoionization cross-sections for the Fe-peaks which have high abundances in SNe. Important interactions for both photoionization and electron-impact excitation are calculated using the relativistic Dirac atomic R-matrix codes (DARC) for low-ionization stages of Cobalt. All results are calculated up to photon energies of 45 eV and electron energies up to 20 eV. The wavefunction representation of Co III has been generated using GRASP0 by including the dominant 3d⁷, 3d⁶[4s, 4p], 3p⁴3d⁹ and 3p⁶3d⁹ configurations, resulting in 292 fine structure levels. Electron-impact collision strengths and Maxwellian averaged effective collision strengths across a wide range of astrophysically relevant temperatures are computed for Co III. In addition, statistically weighted level-resolved ground and metastable photoionization cross-sections are presented for Co II and compared directly with existing work.

Time-limited home-care reablement services for maintaining and improving the functional independence of older adults

Background: Reablement, also known as restorative care, is one possible approach to home-care services for older adults at risk of functional decline. Unlike traditional home-care services, reablement is frequently time-limited (usually six to 12 weeks) and aims to maximise independence by offering an intensive multidisciplinary, person-centred and goal-directed intervention. Objectives:Objectives To assess the effects of time-limited home-care reablement services (up to 12 weeks) for maintaining and improving the functional independence of older adults (aged 65 years or more) when compared to usual home-care or wait-list control group. Search methods:We searched the following databases with no language restrictions during April to June 2015: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE (OvidSP); Embase (OvidSP); PsycINFO (OvidSP); ERIC; Sociological Abstracts; ProQuest Dissertations and Theses; CINAHL (EBSCOhost); SIGLE (OpenGrey); AgeLine and Social Care Online. We also searched the reference lists of relevant studies and reviews as well as contacting authors in the field.Selection criteria:We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster randomised or quasi-randomised trials of time-limited reablement services for older adults (aged 65 years or more) delivered in their home; and incorporated a usual home-care or wait-list control group. Data collection and analysis:Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data, assessed the risk of bias of individual studies and considered quality of the evidence using GRADE. We contacted study authors for additional information where needed.Main results:Two studies, comparing reablement with usual home-care services with 811 participants, met our eligibility criteria for inclusion; we also identified three potentially eligible studies, but findings were not yet available. One included study was conducted in Western Australia with 750 participants (mean age 82.29 years). The second study was conducted in Norway (61 participants; mean age 79 years). We are very uncertain as to the effects of reablement compared with usual care as the evidence was of very low quality for all of the outcomes reported. The main findings were as follows. Functional status: very low quality evidence suggested that reablement may be slightly more effective than usual care in improving function at nine to 12 months (lower scores reflect greater independence; standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.53 to -0.06; 2 studies with 249 participants). Adverse events: reablement may make little or no difference to mortality at 12 months’ follow-up (RR 0.97; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.29; 2 studies with 811 participants) or rates of unplanned hospital admission at 24 months (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.85 to 1.03; 1 study with 750 participants). The very low quality evidence also means we are uncertain whether reablement may influence quality of life (SMD -0.23; 95% CI -0.48 to 0.02; 2 trials with 249 participants) or living arrangements (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.34; 1 study with 750 participants) at time points up to 12 months. People receiving reablement may be slightly less likely to have been approved for a higher level of personal care than people receiving usual care over the 24 months’ follow-up (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.77 to 0.98; 1 trial, 750 participants). Similarly, although there may be a small reduction in total aggregated home and healthcare costs over the 24-month follow-up (reablement: AUD 19,888; usual care: AUD 22,757; 1 trial with 750 participants), we are uncertain about the size and importance of these effects as the results were based on very low quality evidence. Neither study reported user satisfaction with the serviceAuthors’ conclusions:There is considerable uncertainty regarding the effects of reablement as the evidence was of very low quality according to our GRADE ratings. Therefore, the effectiveness of reablement services cannot be supported or refuted until more robust evidence becomes available. There is an urgent need for high quality trials across different health and social care systems due to the increasingly high profile of reablement services in policy and practice in several countries. 

Characterisation of polyethylene powders for rotational moulding and effect of powder size and shape on densification behaviour

The particle size, shape and distribution of a range of rotational moulding polyethylenes (PEs) ground to powder was investigated using a novel visual data acquisition and analysis system (TP Picture®), developed by Total Petrochemicals. Differences in the individual particle shape factors of the powder samples were observed and correlations with the grinding conditions were determined. When heated, the bubble dissolution behaviour of the same powders was investigated and the shape factor correlated with densification rate, bubble size and bubble distribution.

Investigation of the Nucleation and Growth of Colloidal Indium Phosphide: from Molecular Precursors to Semiconductor Nanocrystals through In37P20(O2CR)51 as a Magic-Size Intermediate

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Plant Size as Determinant of Species Richness of Herbivores, Natural Enemies and Pollinators across 21 Brassicaceae Species

Large plants are often more conspicuous and more attractive for associated animals than small plants, e.g. due to their wider range of resources. Therefore, plant size can positively affect species richness of associated animals, as shown for single groups of herbivores, but studies usually consider intraspecific size differences of plants in unstandardised environments. As comprehensive tests of interspecific plant size differences under standardised conditions are missing so far, we investigated effects of plant size on species richness of all associated arthropods using a common garden experiment with 21 Brassicaceae species covering a broad interspecific plant size gradient from 10 to 130 cm height. We recorded plant associated ecto-and endophagous herbivores, their natural enemies and pollinators on and in each aboveground plant organ, i.e. flowers, fruits, leaves and stems. Plant size (measured as height from the ground), the number of different plant organ entities and their biomass were assessed. Increasing plant size led to increased species richness of associated herbivores, natural enemies and pollinating insects. This pattern was found for ectophagous and endophagous herbivores, their natural enemies, as well as for herbivores associated with leaves and fruits and their natural enemies, independently of the additional positive effects of resource availability (i.e. organ biomass or number of entities and, regarding natural enemies, herbivore species richness). We found a lower R-2 for pollinators compared to herbivores and natural enemies, probably caused by the high importance of flower characteristics for pollinator species richness besides plant size. Overall, the increase in plant height from 10 to 130 cm led to a 2.7-fold increase in predicted total arthropod species richness. In conclusion, plant size is a comprehensive driver of species richness of the plant associated arthropods, including pollinators, herbivores and their natural enemies, whether they are endophagous or ectophagous or associated with leaves or fruits.

Dissonant Belonging and the Making of Community: Native Hawaiian Claims to Selfhood and Home

In 1898 the United States illegally annexed the Hawaiian Islands over the protests of Queen Liliʽuokalani and the Hawaiian people. American hegemony has been deepened in the intervening years through a range of colonizing practices that alienate Kanaka Maoli, the indigenous people of Hawaiʽi, from their land and culture. Dissonant Belonging and the Making of Community is an exploration of contemporary Hawaiian peoplehood that reclaims indigenous conceptions of multiethnicity from colonizing narratives of nation and race. Drawing from archival holdings at the University of Hawaiʽi, Mānoa and in-depth interviews, this project offers an analysis of public and everyday discourses of nation, race, and peoplehood to trace the discursive struggle over Local identity and politics. A context-specific social formation in Hawaiʽi, “Local” is commonly understood as a multiethnic identity that has its roots in working-class, ethnic minority culture of the mid-twentieth century. However, American discourses of race and, later, multiethnicity have functioned to render invisible the indigenous roots of this social formation. Dissonant Belonging and the Making of Community reclaims these roots as an important site of indigenous resistance to American colonialism. It traces, on the one hand, the ways in which Native Hawaiian resistance has been alternately erased and appropriated. On the other hand, it explores the meanings of Local identity to Native Hawaiians and the ways in which indigenous conceptions of multiethnicity enabled a thriving community under conditions of colonialism.

Goal detection using laser range finder for goalkeeper and striker from CAMBADA team

For a robot be autonomous and mobile, it requires being attached with a set of sensors that helps it to have a better perception of the surrounding world, to manage to localize itself and the surrounding objects. CAMBADA is the robotic soccer team of the IRIS research group, from IEETA, University of Aveiro, that competes in the Middle-Size League of RoboCup. In competition, in order to win, the main objective of the game it's to score more goals than the conceded, so not conceding goals, and score as much as possible it's desirable, thus, this thesis focus on adapt an agent with a better localization capacity in defensive and offensive moments. It was introduced a laser range finder to the CAMBADA robots, making them capable of detecting their own and the opponent goal, and to detect the opponents in specific game situations. With the new information and adapting the Goalie and Penalty behaviors, the CAMBADA goalkeeper is now able to detect and track its own goal and the CAMBADA striker has a better performance in a penalty situation. The developed work was incorporated within the competition software of the robots, which allows the presentation, in this thesis, of the experimental results obtained with physical robots on the laboratory field.

Outcomes of a general hospital-based Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) program: report of our experience from a 26-year period

Background: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) was introduced in Spain in the late 1980s. Our hospital was a pioneering medical centre in this field. Aim: Analyze outcomes of our HPN program. Methods: Retrospective study of patients receiving HPN between 1986-2012. Study variables are expressed as frequency, mean ± SD (range), median [interquartile range]. Parametrics, non-parametrics test and survival analysis (p < 0.05) were applied. Results: 91 patients (55 females and 36 males, mean age: 50.6 ± 5 yrs.) who received HPN for an accrual period of 55,470 days (median: 211 days [range: 63-573]) were included. The most prevalent underlying condition was cancer (49.5%), with the commonest HPN indication being short bowel syndrome (41.1%). The most frequently used catheter type was the tunneled catheter (70.7%). The complication rate was 3.58/1,000 HPN days (2.68, infection; 0.07, occlusion; 0.07 thrombosis; and 0.59, metabolic complications). Complications were consistently associated with both the underlying condition and HPN length. Infections were most frequent within the first 1,000 days of HPN. Liver disease incidence was related to HPN duration. HPN could be discontinued in 42.3% of patients. Ten-year survival rate was 42%, and varied across the underlying conditions. Conclusions: In the present series, the commonest reason for HPN was cancer. Our complication rate is in keeping with that reported in the literature. The overall survival rate was 42%, and varied across the underlying conditions.

Making a home: the difficulty of dwelling in Genesis and its intertexts

Using an inter-disciplinary range of research on the home-space, home-making practices and the concept of ‘dwelling’, I achieve a new understanding of a central thematic concern in Genesis: its characters’ struggle to build stable, lasting homes upon the earth. Genesis starts with a lost home-space named Eden, before progressing towards other temporary dwellings such as the ark Noah builds, and Abraham’s tents. The biblical ‘home’ is constructed from a mix of materials: the birth of children, divine instructions and journeys, dreams, homemaking acts and so on. Alongside social scientific criticism, this thesis uses literary and midrashic intertexts as a way into re-imagining the ‘unhomely’ experiences of certain characters, or drawing out tensions in acts such as home-unmaking or homecomings. The investigation of the concept of ‘home’ in Genesis contributes to the study of this space more widely, as well as reinterpreting familiar biblical themes such as identity, family and community.

When males are more inclined to stay at home :Insights into the partial migration of a pelagic seabird provided by geolocators and isotopes

Partial migration has never been studied in pelagic seabirds, but investigating old unresolved questions in new contexts can provide useful fresh insights. We used geolocators and stable isotopes to investigate this phenomenon in a migratory pelagic seabird, the Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea). Although most birds migrated to the southern hemisphere, 8.1% of studied birds (N = 172) remained close to the breeding colony (Selvagem Grande, Madeira, Portugal), foraging within the Canary current. Almost all resident birds were males, while age or body size did not predict migratory status. Despite displaying a high repeatability (R = 0.72) in the choice of wintering area, residency was not a fixed strategy and individuals could switch between migrating and staying in the Canary current in different years. The predictions resulting from the “body size” and the “social dominance” hypotheses, in which larger individuals or dominant individuals, respectively, remain closer to the breeding areas, were not supported by our data. Resident males were able to occupy the nesting burrows much earlier than migratory males and arrival time in this species is known to affect the probability of engaging in a reproductive attempt. The selective pressure to arrive early at the colony is therefore the most likely explanation for the maintenance of this partial migration system.