Seasonal changes in abundance of brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (s. gairdnerii) assessed by drift diving in the Rangitikei river, New Zealand

Numbers and approximate sizes of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) and rainbow trout (5. gairdnerii Richardson) were estimated by snorkel divers at 6 sites in the middle reaches of the Rangitikei River, North Island, New Zealand, over 14 months. The results showed that different species and sizes of trout varied in abundance with time. The species of fingerling trout (6-12 cm FL) could not be identified because of their small size and shoaling behaviour. Rainbow trout abundance varied seasonally and was greatest in January and April (between 18 and 60 fish per kilometre) when fish between 23 and 38 cm FL were the most abundant size class. Brown trout abundance showed much less variation with time (between 5 and 36 fish per kilometre at most sites). Also in contrast to rainbow trout, the majority of brown trout were > 38 cm FL, and in June, when the greatest density was observed (56 fish per kilometre), 70 redds were seen at the same site. Two sites were dived within a 48 h period to test the variability of the method. Comparisons between the 3 dives at each site revealed no significant differences between the numbers offish in different species and size classes

Quinnat salmon (oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning in the Rangitikei river

The occurrence of adult quinnat salmon {Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum)) in the Rangitikei River, North Island, New Zealand, has been confirmed on several occasions since 1922, but juvenile salmon have not previously been recorded. In late February 1981 a 79-mm-fork-length smolt was caught in a stranded side channel 180 km upstream from the mouth. This suggests that quinnat salmon can spawn successfully in this river

Speaking up in the 21st century: the effects of communication apprehension and internet self-efficacy on use of social networking websites

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on April 7, 2008)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Journalism.The act of communication is an act of volition, mediated by one's level of fear associated with real or anticipated communication. Communication researchers call this fear communication apprehension and have traditionally recognized two forms: written communication and oral communication apprehension, both of which affect the amount an individual is likely to communicate. With the advent of communication via the computer, or computer-mediated communication (CMC), Scott and Rockwell (1997) and Scott and Timmerman (2005) have suggested a third form of communication apprehension: computer mediated communication apprehension. To test the validity of this new construct, this study tests writing apprehension, oral communication apprehension, computer apprehension, computer-mediated communication apprehension and a related measure of Internet self-efficacy - or one's belief in his or her capability capabilities to achieve tasks online - to see which of these constructs best explain use of social networking websites. The study also examines the effects of gender on the use of social networking website use

So, what's in a title? The paradox of nursing professors!

From Crossref via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2019-03-07, issued 2019-03-0

Is Twitter a counter public?: comparing individual and community forces that shaped local Twitter and newspaper coverage of the BP oil spill

If society is to avoid another disaster like the 2010 BP oil spill, the U.S. must reexamine its future energy policies and government regulations of industry. In the wake of such disasters, the news media should fulfill a surveillance function and raise these critical issues. But an analysis of 164 Gulf Coast newspaper reporters' coverage of the BP oil spill showed that these journalists largely failed to do so. This dissertation examines individual and community-level variables that prevented the journalists from raising more critical questions in the aftermath of the oil spill, and compares their coverage and the forces that shaped it to the Tweets of 240 most-followed Gulf Coast Twitter users. This dissertation seeks to answer whether, in the context of the BP oil spill, Twitter might have served as a counter-public, which challenged the social, political, and economic forces that constrained journalists' coverage. This study found a striking degree of similarity in journalists' and Twitter users' coverage of the oil spill, raising questions about whether Twitter is an alternative medium, and whether media-centric or more general sociological theories are most fruitful for understanding the similarities between these media

Assessing the Reporting of Reliability in Published Content Analyses: 1985–2010

Content analysis is a common research method employed in communication studies. An important part of content analysis is establishing the reliability of the coding protocol, and reporting must be detailed enough to allow for replication of methodological procedures. This study employed a content analysis of published content analysis articles (N=581) in three communication journals over a 26-year period to examine changes in reliability sampling procedures and reporting of reliability coefficients across time. Findings indicate that general improvements have been made in the detail of reporting reliability, in the practice of reporting reliability coefficients that take chance into consideration, and in the reporting of reliability coefficients for more than one variable. However, explaining the reliability sampling process and use of a probability or census reliability sample did not change over time. In recent years, the preponderance of articles did not explain the reliability sampling method or report a reliability coefficient for all key study variables, and few utilized a census or probability sampling frame. Implications are discussed and recommendations made for reporting of reliability in content analysis

Three Decades of Reliability in Communication Content Analyses: Reporting of Reliability Statistics and Coefficient Levels in Three Top Journals

This study examines reliability reporting in content analysis articles ( N = 672) in three flagship communication journals. Data from 1985 to 2014 suggest improvements in reporting across time and also identify areas for additional improvement. Data show increased reporting of chance-corrected reliability coefficients and reporting reliability for all study variables, although increases were inconsistent among journals and the most recent time period showed slight declines. In general, the most often used coefficient was Scott’s Pi; however, Krippendorff’s Alpha was most used in the latest study period. Reporting of low reliability coefficients increased but then decreased most recently. Implications and areas for improvement are discussed

Osteochondral tissue regeneration through polymeric delivery of DNA encoding for the SOX trio and RUNX2

Native osteochondral repair is often inadequate owing to the inherent properties of the tissue, and current clinical repair strategies can result in healing with a limited lifespan and donor site morbidity. This work investigates the use of polymeric gene therapy to address this problem by delivering DNA encoding for transcription factors complexed with the branched poly(ethylenimine)–hyaluronic acid (bPEI–HA) delivery vector via a porous oligo[poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate] hydrogel scaffold. To evaluate the potential of this approach, a bilayered scaffold mimicking native osteochondral tissue organization was loaded with DNA/bPEI–HA complexes. Next, bilayered implants either unloaded or loaded in a spatial fashion with bPEI–HA and DNA encoding for either Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) or SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 5, 6, and 9 (the SOX trio), to generate bone and cartilage tissues respectively, were fabricated and implanted in a rat osteochondral defect. At 6 weeks post-implantation, micro-computed tomography analysis and histological scoring were performed on the explants to evaluate the quality and quantity of tissue repair in each group. The incorporation of DNA encoding for RUNX2 in the bone layer of these scaffolds significantly increased bone growth. Additionally, a spatially loaded combination of RUNX2 and SOX trio DNA loading significantly improved healing relative to empty hydrogels or either factor alone. Finally, the results of this study suggest that subchondral bone formation is necessary for correct cartilage healing

E-cadherin can limit the transforming properties of activating β-catenin mutations

Wnt pathway deregulation is a common characteristic of many cancers. But only Colorectal Cancer predominantly harbours mutations in APC, whereas other cancer types (hepatocellular carcinoma, solid pseudopapillary tumours of pancreas) have activating mutations in β-catenin (CTNNB1). We have compared the dynamics and the potency of β-catenin mutations in vivo. Within the murine small intestine (SI), an activating mutation of β-catenin took much longer to achieve a Wnt deregulation and acquire a crypt-progenitor-cell (CPC) phenotype than Apc or Gsk3 loss. Within the colon, a single activating mutation of β-catenin was unable to drive Wnt deregulation or induce the CPC phenotype. This ability of β-catenin mutation to differentially transform the SI versus the colon correlated with significantly higher expression of the β-catenin binding partner E-cadherin. This increased expression is associated with a higher number of E-cadherin:β-catenin complexes at the membrane. Reduction of E-cadherin synergised with an activating mutation of β-catenin so there was now a rapid CPC phenotype within the colon and SI. Thus there is a threshold of β-catenin that is required to drive transformation and E-cadherin can act as a buffer to prevent β-catenin accumulation