SENSITIVITY TO SCOPE: EVIDENCE FROM A CVM STUDY OF WETLANDS

Wetlands valuation is a situation in which CVM studies might be expected to fail scope tests. This paper reports results from a split-sample CVM study of Wisconsin wetlands. The survey employed a multiple-bounded, polychotomous-choice format, and compared WTP distributions using the method of convolutions. The survey demonstrated sensitivity to scope.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Effect of plyometric training on swimming block start performance in adolescents

This study aimed to identify the effect of plyometric training (PT), when added to habitual training (HT) regimes, on swim start performance. After the completion of a baseline competitive swim start, 22 adolescent swimmers were randomly assigned to either a PT (n = 11, age: 13.1 ± 1.4 yr, mass: 50.6 ± 12.3 kg, stature: 162.9 ± 11.9 cm) or an HT group (n = 11, age: 12.6 ± 1.9 yr, mass: 43.3 ± 11.6 kg, stature: 157.6 ± 11.9 cm). Over an 8-week preseason period, the HT group continued with their normal training program, whereas the PT group added 2 additional 1-hour plyometric-specific sessions, incorporating prescribed exercises relating to the swimming block start (SBS). After completion of the training intervention, post-training swim start performance was reassessed. For both baseline and post-trials, swim performance was recorded using videography (50Hz Canon MVX460) in the sagital plane of motion. Through the use of Silicon Coach Pro analysis package, data revealed significantly greater change between baseline and post-trials for PT when compared with the HT group for swim performance time to 5.5 m (−0.59 s vs. −0.21 s; p < 0.01) and velocity of take-off to contact (0.19 ms−1 vs. −0.07 ms−1; p < 0.01). Considering the practical importance of a successful swim start to overall performance outcome, the current study has found that inclusion of suitable and safely implemented PT to adolescent performers, in addition to HT routines, can have a positive impact on swim start performance

A multicomponential examination of tennis players’ emotional responses to music

The principal aim of this research programme was to examine multiple components of competitive tennis players’ emotional responses to pre-performance music. To this end, four objectives were defined: First, to develop a grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) of players’ use of music to manipulate emotional state; second, to examine the impact of altering music tempo and intensity on players’ affective and behavioural responses; third, to identify neural origins for these phenomena; and fourth, to elucidate the role of motoneuron excitability in behavioural responses observed. These objectives were realised in four interrelated studies. First, 14 players provided quantitative and qualitative interview, questionnaire, and diary data to detail their use of personally emotive music; a grounded theory and associated model were consequently developed to facilitate future research and practice. Participants used music to attain five broad emotional states, including psyched-up; this was associated with faster tempi and louder intensities (volumes). Study 2 was conceived to examine the effects of manipulating these variables on 54 players’ affective and behavioural states, using measures based on Russell’s (1980) affective circumplex and reaction times (RTs). Faster tempi elicited higher valence and arousal, loud intensity yielded higher arousal and shorter RTs; and higher arousal was associated with shorter RTs. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was utilised in Study 3 to identify neural bases for 12 participants’ emotional responses to the same music manipulations; emotion-processing, visuomotor and sensorimotor structures were activated under high-arousal conditions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyography were used in Study 4 to investigate changes in 10 participants’ corticospinal excitability as a result of listening to purposively selected music; optimised music elicited higher arousal and reduced corticospinal response latencies. The foremost contribution of this thesis is to show that music variables may be carefully selected and/or manipulated to maximise performance-facilitating emotional responses to music in tennis.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Foreign Aid

The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate the research regarding foreign aid. We will present how foreign aid is received in the nations of Russia, Afghanistan, and Haiti to incorporate three different regions of the world. First, we will define foreign aid by reviewing its history in comparison to how it is practiced today. We will also look at why the United States initially decided to provide foreign aid to the referenced countries, but how the original intent actually caused issues and concerns within these countries and provided little to no actual help. In addition, we will expose the problem of dependency the discussed countries have on the United States due to the current process of foreign aid. Lastly, we will present four questions to ask when researching the best methods of cross-cultural aid and a suggested call to action. By reviewing the different aspects of foreign aid, we hope to educate our audience on ways it can either weaken or empower receiving countries

Bioinformatics tools in predictive ecology: Applications to fisheries

This article is made available throught the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund - Copygith @ 2012 Tucker et al.There has been a huge effort in the advancement of analytical techniques for molecular biological data over the past decade. This has led to many novel algorithms that are specialized to deal with data associated with biological phenomena, such as gene expression and protein interactions. In contrast, ecological data analysis has remained focused to some degree on off-the-shelf statistical techniques though this is starting to change with the adoption of state-of-the-art methods, where few assumptions can be made about the data and a more explorative approach is required, for example, through the use of Bayesian networks. In this paper, some novel bioinformatics tools for microarray data are discussed along with their ‘crossover potential’ with an application to fisheries data. In particular, a focus is made on the development of models that identify functionally equivalent species in different fish communities with the aim of predicting functional collapse

Stroke rate is markedly reduced after carotid endarterectomy by avoidance of protamine

AbstractPurpose: Postoperative neurologic injury remains a significant risk of carotid endarterectomy. Mechanisms include embolization of debris and formation of thrombus on the newly endarterectomized surface. We hypothesized that the risk of postoperative neurologic injury would be lower in those patients who did not receive protamine for reversal of heparin anticoagulation.Methods: We reviewed 348 consecutive primary carotid endarterectomies performed since January 1, 1986, to determine the relationship between surgical outcomes and reversal of heparin anticoagulation. Patients undergoing additional simultaneous cardiovascular procedures were excluded. One hundred ninety-three patients received protamine after completion of the endarterectomy. The remaining 155 patients did not receive any protamine.Results: All patients in both groups survived to discharge. There were no strokes in those patients who did not receive any protamine; however, the stroke rate in the protamine group was 2.6% (5 of 193), p < 0.045. The incidence of hematoma requiring reexploration was 1.0% (2 of 193) and 1.9% (3 of 155) in the protamine and no-protamine groups, respectively (p = NS). Intraoperative shunting was used more frequently in the no-protamine group (84% vs 67%, p < 0.001), and patch angioplasty was performed more frequently in the protamine group (35% vs 15%, p < 0.001). However, neither shunting nor patching significantly influenced stroke rates.Conclusions: We conclude that carotid endarterectomy without reversal of heparin anticoagulation is associated with a reduced postoperative stroke rate without a significant increase in morbidity rates. (J VASC SURG 1995;22:264-70.

Genome Sequence and Annotation of the B3 Mycobacteriophage Phayeta

Mycobacteriophage Phayeta was extracted from soil near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a host. Annotation of the 68,700 base-pair circularly permuted genome identified 104 predicted protein-encoding genes, 34 of which have functional assignments. This article was published Open Access through the CCU Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. The article was first published in Microbiology Resource Announcements: https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00915-2