562 research outputs found

    A Q-method investigation of individual value priorities in subjective well-being: understanding what makes well-being matter.

    Get PDF
    Objectives: The current investigation aimed to inform theory by exploring the question: How do individual value-priorities influence participants’ constructions of personal well-being? Design: The study employed Q Methodology, which assembles a comprehensive concourse of literature-informed viewpoints, operationalised as numbered qualitative statements for objective quantitative analysis. Q Method provided the ability to operationalise and integrate complex subjective values, facilitating subsequent interpretative analysis of how values influence subjective well-being. Methods: An opportunity sample of 30 participants (12 male, 18 female; 19-66 years), ranked 60 value statements according to subjective importance on a 13-point forced choice distribution grid ranging from -6 (most unimportant) to +6 (most important). Data were subjected to factor analysis and factor extraction using principle component analysis with Varimax rotation. Data sets loading on separate factors with an Eigenvalue of .06 or above were merged to form holistic factor arrays, each subjected to holistic interpretive analyses. Results: Thirteen participants (8 male 5 female), loaded significantly on five factors, (factors 1,2 and 3; three loadings), (factors 4 and 5; two loadings), accounting for 53% of the sample variance. Holistic analyses identified five themes: Exploring Life through my Choices; Faith Family Acceptance and Balance; Keeping Family Close and Embracing Life; Finding Positive Meaning in the World; Being True to Myself and Defining my Boundaries. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that individual values have a significant influence on subsequent development of subjective constructs of personal well-being. These constructs do not conform to components associated with one distinct domain of well-being, but incorporate dynamic, interactive components from multiple domains

    Sexual signaling and immune function in the black field cricket Teleogryllus commodus

    No full text
    The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis predicts that male sexual trait expression should be positively correlated with immunocompetence. Here we investigate if immune function in the cricket, Teleogryllus commodus, is related to specific individual components of male sexual signals, as well as to certain multivariate combinations of these components that females most strongly prefer. Male T. commodus produce both advertisement and courtship calls prior to mating. We measured fine-scale structural parameters of both call types and also recorded nightly advertisement calling effort. We then measured two standard indices of immune function: lysozyme-like activity of the haemolymph and haemocyte counts. We found a weak, positive relationship between advertisement calling effort and lysozyme-like activity. There was, however, little evidence that individual structural call components or the net multivariate attractiveness of either call type signalled immune function. The relationships between immunity and sexual signaling did not differ between inbred and outbred males. Our data suggest that it is unlikely that females assess overall male immune function using male calls.This work was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP0555943 to M.D.J.). J.H. was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and a Royal Society Fellowship. J.M.D. was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award

    The Privy Council : shall we keep it, leave it, or replace it?

    Get PDF

    Comparison of DMSP cross-track ion drifts and SuperDARN line-of-sight velocities

    Get PDF
    Cross-track ion drifts measured by the DMSP satellites are compared with line-of-sight SuperDARN HF velocities in approximately the same directions. Good overall agreement is found for a data set comprising of 209 satellite passes over the field of view of nine SuperDARN radars in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The slope of the best linear fit line relating the SuperDARN and DMSP velocities is of the order of 0.7 with a tendency for SuperDARN velocities to be smaller. The agreement implies that the satellite and radar data can be merged into a common set provided that spatial and temporal variations of the velocity as measured by both instruments are smooth.<br><br> <b>Keywords.</b> Ionosphere (Ionospheric irregularities; Plasma convection; Auroral ionosphere

    An investigation of classical swine fever virus seroprevalence and risk factors in pigs in East Nusa Tenggara, eastern Indonesia

    Get PDF
    Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is a highly infectious disease of pigs. It has had significant impacts on East Nusa Tenggara, eastern Indonesia since its introduction in 1997. In spite of its importance to this region, little is known about its seroprevalence and distribution, and pig-level and farmer-level factors that may have an impact on the serological status of an individual pig. To address this knowledge deficit, a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey was conducted in 2010 involving 2160 pigs and 805 farmers from four islands in the region. Farmer questionnaires and pig record forms were used to collect data about the farmers and pigs surveyed. Blood was collected from each pig to determine its CSFV serological status. Apparent and true prevalence were calculated for each island, district, subdistrict, and village surveyed. CSFV serological status was used as an outcome variable in mixed effects logistic regression analyses.Overall true CSFV seroprevalence was estimated at 17.5% (lower CI 16.0%; upper CI 19.5%). Seroprevalence estimates varied widely across the islands, districts, subdistricts, and villages. Manggarai Barat, a district on the western end of Flores Island, contained pigs that were positive for antibody to CSFV. This result was unexpected, as no clinical cases had been reported in this area. Older pigs and pigs that had been vaccinated for CSFV were more likely to test positive for antibody to CSFV. The final multivariable model accounted for a large amount of variation in the data, however much of this variation was explained by the random effects with less than 2% of the variation explained by pig age and pig CSFV vaccination status.In this study we documented the seroprevalence of CSFV across four islands in East Nusa Tenggara, eastern Indonesia. We also identified risk factors for the presence of antibody to CSFV. Further investigation is needed to understand why clinical CSFV has not been reported on the western end of Flores Island, and to identify additional risk factors that explain CSFV serological status to inform disease control strategies

    SNP Discovery and Haplotypic Variation in Full-Length Herbage Quality Genes of Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne L.)

    Get PDF
    The development of forages with enhanced nutritive value through improvements of herbage quality (digestibility, carbohydrate content) is potentially capable of increasing both meat and milk production by up to 25%. However, the expense and time-consuming nature of the relevant biochemical and biophysical assays has limited breeding improvement for forage quality. The development of accurate high-throughput molecular marker-based selection systems such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) permits evaluation of genetic variation and selection of favourable variants to accelerate the production of elite new varieties
    • …
    corecore