Odour emissions from anaerobic piggery ponds. 2: Improving estimates of emission rate through recognition of spatial variability

Odour emission rates were measured for seven different anaerobic ponds treating piggery wastes at six to nine discrete locations across the surface of each pond on each sampling occasion over a thirteen month period. Significant variability in emission rates were observed for each pond. Measurement of a number of water quality variables in pond liquor samples collected at the same time and from the same locations as the odour samples indicated that the composition of the pond liquor was also variable. The results indicated that spatial variability was a real phenomenon and could have a significant impact on odour assessment practices. Considerably more odour samples would be required to characterise pond emissions than currently recommended by most practitioners, or regulatory agencies.

Odour emissions from anaerobic piggery ponds. 1. Results of a three season, 14-month survey

Odour emission rates were measured for seven different anaerobic ponds treating piggery wastes at six to nine discrete locations across the surface of each pond on each sampling occasion over a 14-month period. Emission rate values varied between ponds, between seasons for the same pond and even for the same pond on different days of a sampling week. Average seasonal emission rates ranged from 7.9 to 46.5 OU/m2 s, while average emission rates ranged from 16.0 to 29.0 OU/m2 s. Factors potentially responsible for the variability in emission rates were investigated, including air and pond liquor temperatures, time of day of sample collection, season and the impact of a prolonged drought.

Evaluating temperate species for the subtropics. 1. Annual ryegrasses

In the subtropics of Australia, irrigated temperate species are the key to reliable cool season feed on dairy farms. Persistence of perennial species is a major limitation to achieving reliable production from irrigated areas and yearly sowings of annual ryegrasses have replaced them as the most productive cool season forage production system in the subtropics. This series of experiments evaluated the yield, and resistance to rust damage, of commercially available cultivars and breeders' lines of annually sown ryegrasses (Lolium multiflorum, L. rigidum, L. x boucheanum and L perenne) in pure, nitrogen-fertilised swards under irrigation in the subtropics over a 22-year period. Barberia and Aristocrat 2 were the most adapted cultivars for subtropical conditions, producing high yields (119 and 114% of mean yield, respectively) and demonstrating the least rust damage. Newer selections from New Zealand, South African, United States of America and European breeding programs are performing better under subtropical conditions than older cultivars, particularly if a component of the selection process has been conducted in that environment. Cultivars such as Passerei Plus, Crusader, Hulk, Status and Warrior are examples of this process, producing between 105 and 115% of mean yield. Yields of annual ryegrass cultivars, which have been available or still are available for sale in Australia, ranged from 14-30 t/ha DM, depending on cultivar, site and seasonal conditions. Yields were lower at the site, which had inferior soil structure and drainage. Up to 50% of yield was produced in the 3 winter months. There was a trend towards improved yields and better tolerance of crown rust from experimental lines in the subtropics, as breeders strive for wider adaptation. Around 70% of the variation in total yield of annual ryegrass and 50 and 60% of the variation in winter and spring yield, respectively, were significantly explained by cultivar, site and climatic variables in autumn, winter and spring. While level of rust damage had no effect on total or seasonal yields, it affected the amount of green leaf available in spring. Under subtropical conditions, winter, spring and overall (autumn to mid-summer) temperatures influenced the- development of rust, which along with cultivar, accounted for 46% of the variation in rust damage. Cultivars showed a range of adaptation, with some performing well only under adverse conditions, some being well adapted to all conditions and some which performed well only under favoured conditions. Cultivars with high winter yields were most suited to subtropical conditions and included Aristocrat 2 (now released as CM 108), Barberia, Warrior, Crusader, Status, Passerei Plus and Hulk. Short growing season types such as Winter Star and T Rex performed well in winter but achieved lower total production, and long season cultivars such as Flanker rarely achieved their potential because of unfavourable conditions in late summer.

Integrating ePsychology into practice and research: A guide for early career psychologists

The ever expanding availability of technology-based mental health services and resources has opened up new areas of psychological practice and research. There are many reasons to embrace this technology movement, whether specialising in providing e-mental health services, conducting research on e-mental health or using technology to assist you in your work in other fields of psychology. e-mental health services not only offer more treatment choices for clients but they provide health professionals with an array of free and comprehensive resources that can help streamline their face-to-face work. This growth in ePsychology (the application of e-mental health by psychologists) also opens up an exciting range of research and teaching possibilities. In this article we cover what ePsychology can offer the early career psychologist.

Statistical significance of sequential firing patterns in multi-neuronal spike trains

Sequential firings with fixed time delays are frequently observed in simultaneous recordings from multiple neurons. Such temporal patterns are potentially indicative of underlying microcircuits and it is important to know when a repeatedly occurring pattern is statistically significant. These sequences are typically identified through correlation counts. In this paper we present a method for assessing the significance of such correlations. We specify the null hypothesis in terms of a bound on the conditional probabilities that characterize the influence of one neuron on another. This method of testing significance is more general than the currently available methods since under our null hypothesis we do not assume that the spiking processes of different neurons are independent. The structure of our null hypothesis also allows us to rank order the detected patterns. We demonstrate our method on simulated spike trains.

Editorial of "International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies Volume 2, Number 2, 2009"

This edition of the International Critical Indigenous Studies Journal, our second for 2009 takes alternative understandings as its theme. All four articles in this edition attend to citizenship and Indigenous sovereignty though in different ways...

Editorial of "International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies, Volume 8, Number 2, 2015"

The articles in this edition address two critical concerns that can be broadly characterised as Indigeneity as a spectacle and the elision of Indigenous sovereignty by multiculturalism and diversity. The first article, by Maryrose Casey, examines nineteenth and early twentieth century Indigenous performances that drew on cultural practices for entertainment. She highlights how these commercially driven performances were, in fact, demonstrations of sovereignty that white colonisers paid to observe. A measure of the success of these demonstrations can be found in the reactions of audiences, which often involved disrupting the spectacle by physically occupying the performance space.

"Musiikki merkitsee minulle paljon" : Asennetutkimus musiikin opiskelun merkityksellisyydestä peruskoulun 9. luokkalaisille

The main purpose of the Master Thesis was to find out what kind of attitudes the pupils in the 9th grade of Finnish comprehensive school have towards music as a school subject and compare it to the attitudes of the principals at a school level. The theoretical context of the research is based on the former studies of the significance of music education in the comprehensive school, the connection between learning and attitudes and the motivational factors towards the study motivation of music. In addition to this, I have analysed the role of the evaluation and the assessment from the point of view of developing the educational system and what is the role of management and leadership in relation to the pupils` behaviour and attitudes. The data of the research is the Finnish National Board of Education`s collected data of the assessment of the learning outcomes of arts education and it is nationally representative (N=5056 I phase and n=1570 II phase), both the Finnish-language and the Swedish-language pupil data. I have especially concentrated on the items of measuring the attitudes, the certain background variables and the questionnaire of the principals. The numerical data was analyzed using the multivariate statistical methods. The results of the research prove that in general the pupils and the principals think that music is quite significant as a school subject. The girls valued music on average more than the boys when comparing all the dimensions. The differences were systematic but the effect sizes were under 10 %. There were not statistically significant differences between the Finnish-language and the Swedish-language pupils. Comparing the grades of music in the 7th grade, the differences were growing linearly and the effect size was 15.7 %. There was a positive statistically significant correlation between the Significance of music and music as a hobby (Active interest in music, Informal interest in music, Taking part of music activities in the school) during free time. The strongest correlation were with the Active interest in music variable (r= 0.53, p= .000). Also the principals thought that music is important as a school subject considering the development of the pupil and the function of the school. The answers of the pupils were not clustering at a school level and there were no strong correlations between the attitudes of the pupils and the principals. A statistically nearly significant and a slight correlation (r= 0.21, p= .011) was found between the principals valuing the Significance of the music for school function and the pupils valuing the Benefits and hobbyism. The role of a well-motivated and active music teacher can be important from this point of view. The most important conclusion of the research was that the significance of music is a very personal individual level phenomenon. The results highlight also that in the pupils` opinion the most important thing about music lessons is to musical activity and learning as an experience.

Idén om en karriär - ett kulturellt manuskript för skapandet av det postmoderna självet:

Bakgrunden till denna undersökning utgörs av arbetslivets förändring och dess konsekvenser för konstrueringen av självidentiteten; hur avväger unga konsulter i början av sin karriär mellan olika diskurser för att skapa en förhandlad självidentitet som styrs av idén om en karriär och såvida är hållbar även i ett långtidsperspektiv? Undersökningen tar avstamp i de sociologiska diskussionerna om informationssamhällets framväxt och dess inverkan på arbetets karaktär. Undersökningen utgår från begreppet kunskapsarbete (Alvesson 2001; Blom, Melin & Pyöriä 2001) eftersom konsultyrket kan anses representera denna typ av arbete. Ett genomgående tema är flexibiliteten och det höga tempot som å ena sidan möjliggör självförverkligande men å andra sidan försvårar skapandet av en sammanhängande självidentitet (Sennett 2002). Denna problematik är viktigt att ta i beaktande då förlängandet av arbetskarriärerna och ökandet av arbetslivets attraktivitet blivit centrala mål för den finska samhällspolitiken (Julkunen & Pärnänen 2005) samtidigt som ett generationsskifte håller på att ske på den finländska arbetsmarknaden. Undersökningen utgår från idén om karriären som ett manuskript som ger upphov för identitetsförhandlingar och sammanbinder livets olika domäner till ett personligt liv inte bara i nuläget utan även i ett långtidsperspektiv. Enligt Alvesson & Willmot (2002) framkallas identitetsförhandlingar genom både samhälleliga och organisationsspecifika identitetsreglerande praktiker. Jag utgår från antagandet att självidentiteten fungerar som den sammanbindande knytpunkten mellan karriären och det övriga livet, vilket gör det intressant att koncentrera sig på de identitetsförhandlingar som informanterna utsätts för i förhållande till sitt arbete och idén om en karriär. Begreppet personligt liv ger utrymme för individuell aktivitet och personliga betydelser men behåller ändå föreställningen om individen som inbäddad och sammanbunden i och med det sociala och kulturella (Smart 2007). I bakgrunden finns teorierna om den nya form som makten antagit i organisationer (Foucault; Rose 1999; Grey 1994, Casey 1995) och förvandlat individen till en ett självstyrande subjekt som arbetar som en entreprenör (Rose 1999). Jag poängterar den subjektiva aspekten av karriären som någonting som individen själv konstruerar (Hughes 1997; Barley 1989) och uppfattar i likhet med Julkunen (2003) och Acker (1990; 2006) ålder och kön som sociala kategorier i organisationsstrukturen. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur unga personer utför identitetsförhandlingar i förhållande till arbetet och idén om en karriär i nuläget, samt sammanbinder karriären, framtiden och livet över lag med sin självidentitet i ett karriärperspektiv. Jag har valt unga konsulter som forskningsobjekt, eftersom endast en liten del av den sociologiska arbetslivsforskningen intresserat sig för just unga. Konsultbranschen är ett intressant forskningsobjekt av samma orsak – denna bransch har behandlats i mycket liten skala i finländsk forskning. Det empiriska materialet består av kvalitativa intervjuer med unga, högutbildade män och kvinnor i konsultbranschen. Som analysmetod har jag använt mig av tema-analys inspirerad av diskursanalys. Genom att undersöka individers identitetsförhandlingar i ett karriärperspektiv hoppas jag kunna bidra med nya synpunkter och infallsvinklar samt bättre förståelse för det postindustriella arbetslivet som karakteriseras av kunskapsintensifiering och snabba förändringar i organisationer. Studien visar att idén om en karriär fungerar som ett medel för designandet av det postmoderna självet på samma sätt som till exempel konsumtionen av vissa varumärken. Enligt studien har den flexibla kapitalismen olika inverkan på män och kvinnors idéer om en karriär och betjänar den manliga karriären betydligt bättre än den kvinnliga, åtminstone så länge traditionella könskonstruktioner dominerar. För männen är det naturligt att totalt utesluta faderskapet från karriärkonstruktionen, vilket får dem att kapitulera inför organisationens krav. För kvinnorna är det lika naturligt att justera idén om den framtida karriären enligt möjliga barn i framtiden. Möjligheten att bejaka moderskapets krav verkar beskydda den kvinnliga självidentiteten från att totalt ge efter för organisationens försök att kontrollera subjektiviteten. De unga informanterna konstruerar sitt arbete i mycket annorlunda termer än vad som traditionellt förknippas med arbete; konsultarbetets projektbaserade karaktär konstrueras som äventyrligt, roligt, intressant och omväxlande. Eftersom avsaknad av långsiktighet och rutiner förknippas med den tid i livet då man är ung, underlättades sammanförandet av konsultarbetet med självidentiteten. Samtidigt visar studien hur svårt individen, som fungerar likt en entreprenör i förhållande till sin arbetsgivare, har att skilja mellan arbete och övrigt liv samtidigt som diskursen om balans mellan arbete och fritid dominerar i samhället. Detta ger upphov till en konstruktion av självet som en lycklig och autonom individ som är nöjd över sitt val av start på karriären och tycker om att jobba, medan de långa arbetsdagarna och kraven på ständig effektivitet och prestationer konstrueras som något naturligt. Slutligen efterlyser studien en omdefiniering av begreppet kunskapsarbete. Arbetssociologin i sin helhet har utgått från tanken om arbete som något ofrivilligt eller som tvång, medan informanterna i denna undersökning tvärtom konstruerar sitt arbete i termer som traditionellt förknippas med fritid och frivillighet . Man kan fråga sig ifall kunskapsarbetet håller på att slita sig loss från den traditionella uppfattningen om arbete och skapa en allt skarpare kontrast till det arbete som utförs i traditionell bemärkelse?

Gauge Invariant Spectral Cauchy Characteristic Extraction of Gravitational Waves in Computational General Relativity

We present a complete system for Spectral Cauchy characteristic extraction (Spectral CCE). Implemented in C++ within the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC), the method employs numerous innovative algorithms to efficiently calculate the Bondi strain, news, and flux.

Spectral CCE was envisioned to ensure physically accurate gravitational wave-forms computed for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) and similar experiments, while working toward a template bank with more than a thousand waveforms to span the binary black hole (BBH) problem’s seven-dimensional parameter space.

The Bondi strain, news, and flux are physical quantities central to efforts to understand and detect astrophysical gravitational wave sources within the Simulations of eXtreme Spacetime (SXS) collaboration, with the ultimate aim of providing the first strong field probe of the Einstein field equation.

In a series of included papers, we demonstrate stability, convergence, and gauge invariance. We also demonstrate agreement between Spectral CCE and the legacy Pitt null code, while achieving a factor of 200 improvement in computational efficiency.

Spectral CCE represents a significant computational advance. It is the foundation upon which further capability will be built, specifically enabling the complete calculation of junk-free, gauge-free, and physically valid waveform data on the fly within SpEC.

The changing chemical composition of chalk streams and rivers

The area studied was the River Frome system below Dorchester. The main river has its origins mainly in chalk springs, although some of its tributaries have surface run-off from farm lands and heath-lands. Thus the chemistry of the river is affected by changes in land practice and differences in the geology of the catchment area. Regular chemical analysis of chalk waters started at the River Laboratory in 1964, Regular weekly analyses have been carried out since 1965 at Bere Stream (a small chalk stream) and the River Frome (a large chalk stream); also single samples have been analysed to provide preliminary information. In 1970-71 an attempt was made to discover the contribution each main source made to the flow and chemical composition of the River Frome. Results of these investigations are presented in the paper.

Experiments using an artificial stream to investigate the seasonal growth of chalk-stream algae

Research into the production ecology of chalk streams using a large artificial recirculating stream is described. Physical chemical processes including calcium and inorganic phosphate levels, and exchange of gaseous carbon dioxide in both a simple closed system and a circulating system with gravel substrate have been monitored in both light and dark conditions. Further experiments were concerned with the seasonal changes in algal growth over the gravel substrate with constant water velocities and replenishment. The algal population, composed mainly of the diatoms Achnanthes minutissima, Meridion circulare, Nitzschia fonticola and Synedra ulna reached a peak in mid May and declined rapidly during June. Concentrations of phosphate phosphorus fell as the diatoms grew but was not thought to limit growth. Silicate concentrations followed the diatom cycle closely but never fell below 0.8 mg/l Si. It is possible that one of the nutrients may have been limiting the rate of growth due to steep diffusion gradients through the algal mat. In the last summer and autumn a hard calcareous crust composed of the green alga Gongrosira incrustans and the blue green alga Homeothrix varians , developed. The channel stream is compared with the natural conditions found in chalk streams.

Nitrates in surface waters, inputs and seasonality: Progress report for the period April - December 1987

The objective of this short project progress report is to investigate, in a catchment on which earlier nitrate data are available for comparison, seasonality and budgets, in relation to land use, of nitrate inputs, concentrations and loads. Sampling was undertaken from 1984-87 in the River Frome catchment and data on nitrate concentrations analysed.

Impact of watercress cultivation on river water quality: progress report for the period, January - December 1987

The objective of this short project progress report is to investigate the possible water quality implications of modern watercress growing practices. Chalk receiving watercourses are usually of high supply, amenity, game fishing and fish farming value. Any headwater pollution load, therefore, needs characterising and quantifying. Two sites of watercress farming were studied in 1986-87 and nutrient levels examined. Different approaches of watercress farmers in Dorset and Hampshire are summarised.