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.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and crab Necora puber size and elements in tissue during experiments, 2010

Ocean acidification (OA) is predicted to play a major role in shaping species biogeography and marine biodiversity over the next century. We tested the effect of medium-term exposure to OA (pH 8.00, 7.30 and 6.70 for 30 d) on acid-base balance in the decapod crab Necora puber-a species that is known to possess good extracellular buffering ability during short-term exposure to hypercapnic conditions. To determine if crabs undergo physiological trade-offs in order to buffer their haemolymph, we characterised a number of fundamental physiological functions, i.e. metabolic rate, tolerance to heat, carapace and chelae [Ca2+] and [Mg2+], haemolymph [Ca2+] and [Mg2+], and immune response in terms of lipid peroxidation. Necora puber was able to buffer changes to extracellular pH over 30 d exposure to hypercapnic water, with no evidence of net shell dissolution, thus demonstrating that HCO3- is actively taken up from the surrounding water. In addition, tolerance to heat, carapace mineralization, and aspects of immune response were not affected by hypercapnic conditions. In contrast, whole-animal O2uptake significantly decreased with hypercapnia, while significant increases in haemolymph [Ca2+] and [Mg2+] and chelae [Mg2+] were observed with hypercapnia. Our results confirm that most physiological functions in N. puber are resistant to low pH/hypercapnia over a longer period than previously investigated, although such resistance comes at the expenses of metabolic rates, haemolymph chemistry and chelae mineralization.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and clownfish Amphiprion percula size and otholith development during experiments, 2011

Calcification in many invertebrate species is predicted to decline due to ocean acidification. The potential effects of elevated CO2 and reduced carbonate saturation state on other species, such as fish, are less well understood. Fish otoliths (earbones) are composed of aragonite, and thus, might be susceptible to either the reduced availability of carbonate ions in seawater at low pH, or to changes in extracellular concentrations of bicarbonate and carbonate ions caused by acid-base regulation in fish exposed to high pCO2. We reared larvae of the clownfish Amphiprion percula from hatching to settlement at three pHNBS and pCO2 levels (control: ~pH 8.15 and 404 µatm CO2; intermediate: pH 7.8 and 1050 µatm CO2; extreme: pH 7.6 and 1721 µatm CO2) to test the possible effects of ocean acidification on otolith development. There was no effect of the intermediate treatment (pH 7.8 and 1050 µatm CO2) on otolith size, shape, symmetry between left and right otoliths, or otolith elemental chemistry, compared with controls. However, in the more extreme treatment (pH 7.6 and 1721 µatm CO2) otolith area and maximum length were larger than controls, although no other traits were significantly affected. Our results support the hypothesis that pH regulation in the otolith endolymph can lead to increased precipitation of CaCO3 in otoliths of larval fish exposed to elevated CO2, as proposed by an earlier study, however, our results also show that sensitivity varies considerably among species. Importantly, our results suggest that otolith development in clownfishes is robust to even the more pessimistic changes in ocean chemistry predicted to occur by 2100.

Grain size and heavy mineral analysis of Sander in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Die Sandergebiete sind von 5 Zentren her geschüttet, den Gletschertoren bei Flensburg, Frörup/Översee, Idstedt/Lürschau, Schleswig, Owschlag. Die Körnung der Schmelzwassersande nimmt mit zunehmender Entfernung von den Gletschertoren zunächst schnell, von Medianwerten über 1 mm auf Medianwerte um 0,4 mm in 10 km, dann langsam bis auf Medianwerte unter 0,2 mm in 30 km Entfernung ab. Sortierung und Symmetrie der Sande steigen entsprechend. Aus den Kornverteilungen lassen sich die Fließgeschwindigkeiten bei der Ablagerung ablesen. Sie sind geringer gewesen, als es die mächtigen und verbreiteten Akkumulationen erscheinen lassen. Bereits in 6 km Entfernung vom Eisrand flossen die Schmelzwässer als träge Bäche (0,3 m/sec) ab. In den Gletschertoren traten stoßweise extreme Fließgeschwindigkeiten auf, waren aber nur in geringem Maße am Gesamtaufbau der Sander beteiligt. Die Verbreitung der Würmsande paßt sich den Formen einer älteren Landschaft an. Sie läßt sich im behandelten Gebiet mit Hilfe der Schwermineralanalyse deutlich gegenüber den rißzeitlichen Ablagerungen abgrenzen, da die Verteilungen in den verschiedenaltrigen Sedimenten unterschiedlich sind. Vor Allem das Hornblende/Epidotverhältnis (Hornblendezahl nach STEINERT) ist ein gutes Kriterium. Da rißzeitliche Ablagerungen von den Schmelzwässern aufgearbeitet wurden, und zudem die Hornblenden im Laufe des Transportes stark abrollen, verwischen sich die Unterschiede in weiter Entfernung vom Eisrand. Schmelzwassersande der Würmvereisung sind vor Allem im Norden des Arbeitsgebietes weit nach Westen, bis an die nordfriesischen Inseln, geschüttet worden. Die Schmelzwässer benutzten als Durchlässe zu den Senken des Eemmeeres an der Westküste Täler in rißzeitlichen Hochgebieten. Die Wassermengen wurden hier gebündelt, sodaß sich auf den Eemablagerungen im Anschluß an die Durchlässe "Sekundärsander" ausbreiteten. Die Mächtigkeit der anstehenden Würm-Sandergebiete beträgt bis zu 20 m, meistens zwischen 10 und 15 m. An der Westküste sind die Schmelzwasserablagerungen von marinem Alluvium überdeckt. Teile der morphographisch als junge Sanderebenen erscheinenden Gebiete bestehen in Wirklichkeit aus rißzeitlichen, von jungen Schmelzwässern allenfalls oberflächlich umgearbeiteten Ablagerungen der älteren Vereisung. So ist der westliche und südwestliche Teil des Schleisanders schon während der Rißvereisung aufgeschüttet.

XRF measurements, CNS content, grain size and sediment accumulation of sediment core NC_08/01 from lake Nam Co, Tibet

Decadal to sub-decadal variability of inflow, evaporation and biological productivity derived from Lake Nam Co was used to reconstruct hydrological changes for the past ca. 24 k cal a BP. The timing of these variations corresponds to known climatic shifts on the Northern Hemisphere. After a dry and cold Last Glacial Maximum the lake level of Nam Co initially rose at ca. 20 k cal a BP. Moist but further cold conditions between ca. 16.2 and 14 k cal a BP correspond to Heinrich Event 1. A warm and moist phase between ca. 14 and 13 k cal a BP is expressed as a massive enhancement in inflow and biological productivity and might be associated with a first intensification of the Indian Ocean Summer Monsoon coinciding with the Bølling-Allerød complex. A twostep decrease in inflow and a contemporaneous decline in biological productivity until ca. 11.8 k cal a BP points to cool and dry conditions during the Younger Dryas. Lake levels peak at ca. 9.4 k cal a BP, although hydrological conditions remain relatively stable during the Holocene with only low-amplitude variations observed.

Estimation of Sample Size and Power For Quantile Regression

Quantile regression (QR) was first introduced by Roger Koenker and Gilbert Bassett in 1978. It is robust to outliers which affect least squares estimator on a large scale in linear regression. Instead of modeling mean of the response, QR provides an alternative way to model the relationship between quantiles of the response and covariates. Therefore, QR can be widely used to solve problems in econometrics, environmental sciences and health sciences. Sample size is an important factor in the planning stage of experimental design and observational studies. In ordinary linear regression, sample size may be determined based on either precision analysis or power analysis with closed form formulas. There are also methods that calculate sample size based on precision analysis for QR like C.Jennen-Steinmetz and S.Wellek (2005). A method to estimate sample size for QR based on power analysis was proposed by Shao and Wang (2009). In this paper, a new method is proposed to calculate sample size based on power analysis under hypothesis test of covariate effects. Even though error distribution assumption is not necessary for QR analysis itself, researchers have to make assumptions of error distribution and covariate structure in the planning stage of a study to obtain a reasonable estimate of sample size. In this project, both parametric and nonparametric methods are provided to estimate error distribution. Since the method proposed can be implemented in R, user is able to choose either parametric distribution or nonparametric kernel density estimation for error distribution. User also needs to specify the covariate structure and effect size to carry out sample size and power calculation. The performance of the method proposed is further evaluated using numerical simulation. The results suggest that the sample sizes obtained from our method provide empirical powers that are closed to the nominal power level, for example, 80%.

Sustaining a Relationship : Insights from Canada on Linking the Government and Third Sector (Working Paper 1)

The embedding of third sector organisations in the policy world is fraught with tensions. Accountability and autonomy become oppositional forces causing an uneasy relationship. Government agencies are concerned that their equity and efficiency goals and objectives be met when they enter partnerships with the third sector for the delivery of programs and services. Third sector agencies question the impact of accountability mechanisms on their independence and identities. Even if the relationship between government and third sector agencies seems to be based on cooperation, concerns about cooptation (for nonprofits) and capturing (for governments) may linger calling the legitimacy of the partnership into question. Two means of improving the relationship between the governing and third sectors have been proposed recently in Canada by the Panel on Accountability and Governance in the Voluntary Sector (PAGVS) and the Joint Tables sponsored by the Voluntary Sector Task Force (VSTF). The two endeavours represent a historic undertaking in Canada aimed at improving and facilitating the relationship between the federal government and the nonprofit sector. The reports borrow on other country models but offer new insights into mediating the relationship, including new models for a regulatory body and a charity compact for Canada. Do these recommendations adequately address concerns of autonomy, accountability and cooptation or capturing? The Canadian reports do offer new insights into resolving the four tensions inherent in partnerships between the governing and third sector but also raise important questions about the nature of these relationships and the evolution of democracy within the Canadian political system.

LINEUP SIZE AND NUMBER OF CUES: WHEN BIGGER ISN’T BETTER

Larger lineups could protect innocent suspects from being misidentified; however, they can also decrease correct identifications. Bertrand (2006) investigated whether the decrease in correct identifications could be prevented by adding more cues, in the form of additional views of lineup members’ faces, to the lineup. Adding these cues was successful to an extent. The current series of studies attempted to replicate Bertrand’s (2006) findings while addressing some methodological issues—namely, the inconsistency in image size as lineup size increased. First, I investigated whether image size could affect face recognition (Chapter 2) and found it could, but that it also affected previously-seen (“old”) versus previously-unseen (“new”) faces differently. Specifically, smaller image sizes at exposure lowered accuracy for old faces, while these same image sizes at recognition lowered accuracy for new faces. Although these results indicate that target recognition would be unaffected by image size at recognition (i.e., during a lineup), lineups are also comprised of previously-unseen faces, in the form of fillers and innocent suspects. Because image size could affect lineup decisions, as it could become more difficult to realize fillers are previously-unseen, I decided to replicate Bertrand (2006) while keeping image size constant in Chapters 3 (simultaneous lineups) and 4 (simultaneous-presentation, sequential decisions). In both Chapters, the integral findings were the same: correct identification rates decreased as lineup size increased from 6- to 24-person lineups, but adding cues had no effect. The inability to replicate Bertrand (2006) could mean that the original finding was due to chance, but alternate explanations also exist, such as the overall size of the array, the degree to which additional cues overlap, and the length of the target exposure. These alternate explanations, along with directions for future research, are discussed in the following Chapters.

Performance and prospects of smaller UK regional airports

This paper investigates the traffic and financial performance of smaller UK regional airports between 2001 and 2014. Fourteen airports that typically serve less than 5 million passengers per annum were selected for the analysis. A period of strong growth in passenger demand was experienced from 2001 to 2007, driven largely by low cost carriers. The period from 2007 to 2014 was characterised by declining demand, resulting in significant losses for many of the airports. Airline strategies, such as the use of an increased unit fleet size and average sector length, may further limit future prospects for smaller UK regional airports in favour of larger ones with greater local demand. The relationship between traffic throughput and the generation of aeronautical revenues seems to vary at airports. There is generally a strong and significant relationship between traffic throughput and the generation of commercial revenues and total operating costs at airports serving 3–5 million passengers, but the situation for airports serving fewer than 3 million is less certain.

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.

The evolutionary history and activity of a gain-of-function polymorphism in a human antiviral gene

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-07

Size matters : the link between staff size and perceived organizational support in early childhood education

Integrity and public sector governance : a democratic deficit?