The effects of legacy sulphur deposition on methylmercury production in northern peatlands; geochemical and biological considerations

Mercury is a ubiquitous element with a complex geochemical cycle. Aquatic ecosystems such as wetland soils convert inorganic mercury to organic, neurotoxic methylmercury though the activity of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Sulphate stimulates the activity of SRB, and the production of methylmercury in these environments. My aim was to investigate the effect that legacy sulphate has on Hg methylation in northern peatlands through a laboratory sulphate addition experiment with differentially sulphate-exposed peats and a field study of peatlands subjected to different levels of sulphate. Results from the laboratory study indicate that peatlands in regions of higher atmospheric sulphate deposition show enhanced Hg methylation responses compared to pristine peatlands, while field results indicate that sulphate deposition increases Hg methylation dependence on other nutrients as opposed to sulphate supply. Management for peatlands impacted by industrial sulphate sources will have to consider legacy sulphate deposition within peatland geochemical context to mitigate potential Hg methylation

Redemption of a Common Life

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Blythe L. Hunt in December of 2011

Grasses and Ruminants That Will Help Save Space Ship Earth

For the last twenty years, it has been known that grasses are capable of extracting toxins from the soil. More recently, it has been shown that microorganisms from ruminants, especially sheep, can biodegrade certain toxins in plants and soil, including munition residues. The combination of these two processes act as an agricultural means to clear toxins and munitions from land has been termed Phyto-Ruminal-Bioremediation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as illustrated in the discussion below. As an example, plants containing toxins such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids can be cleared from pastures using sheep and their ruminant microorganisms. Use of grasslands and certain grasses is also being used to clean up other toxins such as munitions in areas where residues of explosives have been left following wars, especially in the middle east. This includes Kuwait’s Desert Storm, as well as, Egypt’s battles in World War II. It has been documented that when a bomb explodes or a cannon fires, 15% of the munitions is non-oxidized and lies as a toxic residue on the soil. This is true even after many years pass by, ie. nearly 80 years. The use of the Phyto-Ruminal-Bioremediation technology has the ability to revitalize “war-torn” areas into sustainable pastures for animal production and food production for human populations. The presentation will establish the scientific basis for this new agricultural based technology, Phyto-Ruminal-Bioremediation. This scientific approach to clean-up pollutants is a new paradigm for bioremediation. Grasses and ruminates have the potential to make this world a better place

Spatial fluctuations of a surviving particle in the trapping reaction

We consider the trapping reaction, $A+B\to B$, where $A$ and $B$ particles have a diffusive dynamics characterized by diffusion constants $D_A$ and $D_B$. The interaction with $B$ particles can be formally incorporated in an effective dynamics for one $A$ particle as was recently shown by Bray {\it et al}. [Phys. Rev. E {\bf 67}, 060102 (2003)]. We use this method to compute, in space dimension $d=1$, the asymptotic behaviour of the spatial fluctuation, $^{1/2}$, for a surviving $A$ particle in the perturbative regime, $D_A/D_B\ll 1$, for the case of an initially uniform distribution of $B$ particles. We show that, for $t\gg 1$, $^{1/2} \propto t^{\phi}$ with $\phi=1/4$. By contrast, the fluctuations of paths constrained to return to their starting point at time $t$ grow with the larger exponent 1/3. Numerical tests are consistent with these predictions.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Biological activities of alkaloids: From toxicology to pharmacology

Plants produce many secondary metabolites, which reveal biological activity [...]

Algebraic-Combinatorial Methods for Low-Rank Matrix Completion with Application to Athletic Performance Prediction

This paper presents novel algorithms which exploit the intrinsic algebraic and combinatorial structure of the matrix completion task for estimating missing en- tries in the general low rank setting. For positive data, we achieve results out- performing the state of the art nuclear norm, both in accuracy and computational efficiency, in simulations and in the task of predicting athletic performance from partially observed data

The Learning Agreement Pilot in Lancashire, England: supporting young people in jobs without training

The Learning Agreement Pilot (LAP) began in April 2006 in eight areas in England as part of the Government’s continuing commitment to improving the skills base of young people. Lancashire is one of the LAP areas, and CXL (formerly Connexions Lancashire) is working in partnership with the local Learning and Skills Council to re-engage in learning those 16 and 17-year-olds who are in jobs with no accredited training. CXL commissioned an evaluation of the first year of the Lancashire LAP, focussing on both its delivery and its impact on young people and employers. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) commissioned two separate evaluations of the first year of the LAP nationally, one focussing on delivery and management issues and one focussing on a model of youth re-engagement to test aspects of policy

Representing older people: towards meaningful images of the user in design scenarios

Designing for older people requires the consideration of a range of difficult and sometimes highly personal design problems. Issues such as fear, loneliness, dependency, and physical decline may be difficult to observe or discuss in interviews. Pastiche scenarios and pastiche personae are techniques that employ characters to create a space for the discussion of new technological developments and as a means to explore user experience. This paper argues that the use of such characters can help to overcome restrictive notions of older people by disrupting designers' prior assumptions. In this paper, we reflect on our experiences using pastiche techniques in two separate technology design projects that sought to address the needs of older people. In the first case pastiche scenarios were developed by the designers of the system and used as discussion documents with users. In the second case, pastiche personae were used by groups of users themselves to generate scenarios which were scribed for later use by the design team. We explore how the use of fictional characters and settings can generate new ideas and undermine rhetorical devices within scenarios that attempt to fit characters to the technology, rather than vice versa. To assist in future development of pastiche techniques in designing for older people, we provide an array of fictional older characters drawn from literary and popular culture.</p

Random Networks with Tunable Degree Distribution and Clustering

We present an algorithm for generating random networks with arbitrary degree distribution and Clustering (frequency of triadic closure). We use this algorithm to generate networks with exponential, power law, and poisson degree distributions with variable levels of clustering. Such networks may be used as models of social networks and as a testable null hypothesis about network structure. Finally, we explore the effects of clustering on the point of the phase transition where a giant component forms in a random network, and on the size of the giant component. Some analysis of these effects is presented.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures corrected typos, added two references, reorganized reference

Belonging in Two Families: Exploring Permanency Options for Children in Long-Term Out-of-Home Care in Australia

This report presents the findings of an online survey which investigated permanency options for children in out-of-home care in Australia. While there has been much public discussion surrounding long-term foster care, guardianship and adoption in Australia, there has not previously been any formal research considering stakeholder opinions on these legal frameworks. This research aimed to fill this gap by asking participants to share their views on the existing legal frameworks of long-term foster care, guardianship, and plenary open adoption, as well as the concept of simple open adoption