Habitat selection and breeding ecology of golden eagles in Sweden

The red-listed Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) population is estimated between 1200-1400 reproductive individuals in Sweden. This population is unusual as eagles predominantly nest in trees unlike most others that prefer cliffs. The central aim of this thesis was to study 1) reproductive performance in relation to food supply, 2) habitat composition of territories at different scales, 3) breeding home range size, and 4) habitat selection of Golden Eagles in Sweden. Data on annual breeding performance in 1980-2009 were obtained by regional Golden Eagle monitoring groups and data on indicators of food supplies by a long-term monitoring of small rodents, and for main prey species by hunting bag statistics for mountain hare and forest grouse. Adult Golden Eagles were trapped on their territories and fitted with GPS backpack transmitters in autumn 2010 and 2011, and position data from 2011 and 2012 breeding seasons were used for studying home range and habitat selection. Landcover maps and elevation data were used to characterize habitat properties in territories. Reproductive performance was highly variable among years, for example number of nestlings per breeding attempt ranged from 0.5-1.4 with a mean of >1, but this and other measures did not show 3-4 yr cycles as previously thought. However, both proportion of territories with nestlings and number of nestlings per occupied territory was positively related to primary prey (small game) indices in the same year. Habitat composition of territories was scale-dependent, with rugged terrain and old forest being overrepresented at the nest site scale, while clear-cuts on intermediate scales away from the nest. The GPS position data revealed some of the largest home ranges in Golden Eagle literature when derived from 50 and 95% kernel density estimators (KDE). In 2012, 50% KDEs ranged from approx. 5 − 110km², while 95% KDEs ranged from 70 − 580km². Home range size displayed a negative relationship to the proportion of clear-cuts within each home range. Analyses based on position data confirmed that the Eagles preferred coniferous forest, clear-cuts and steeper slopes. The here identified habitat and landscape preferences can be used for landscape management in the boreal region to support Golden Eagles

The reniform reflecting superposition compound eyes of Nephrops norvegicus: optics, susceptibility to light-induced damage, electrophysiology and a ray tracing model

The large reniform eyes of the reptant, tube-dwelling decapod Nephrops norvegicus are described in detail. Optically these reflecting superposition compound eyes are a little unusual in that they are laterally flattened, a feature that may enhance their sensitivity in that region, albeit at the expense of resolution. Electrophysiological and anatomical investigations suggest that the eyes are tuned to appropriate spectral and temporal sensitivities in the long and short term through movement of proximal pigments and possibly rhabdom adaptation. Although exposure to ambient surface light intensities is shown to cause damage to the retinal layer, especially in deeper living animals, there is no evidence yet that demonstrates an impact of eye damage on their survival. It is suggested that experimentation on marine decapods, with sensitive eyes, requires that particular attention is paid to their light environment

GPCRTree: online hierarchical classification of GPCR function

Background: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play important physiological roles transducing extracellular signals into intracellular responses. Approximately 50% of all marketed drugs target a GPCR. There remains considerable interest in effectively predicting the function of a GPCR from its primary sequence. Findings: Using techniques drawn from data mining and proteochemometrics, an alignment-free approach to GPCR classification has been devised. It uses a simple representation of a protein's physical properties. GPCRTree, a publicly-available internet server, implements an algorithm that classifies GPCRs at the class, sub-family and sub-subfamily level. Conclusion: A selective top-down classifier was developed which assigns sequences within a GPCR hierarchy. Compared to other publicly available GPCR prediction servers, GPCRTree is considerably more accurate at every level of classification. The server has been available online since March 2008 at URL: http://igrid-ext.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/gpcrtree

Toward the Next Generation: A Comparison of Next generation Library Catalog Implementations

Traditional Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs) are no longer satisfying information seekers who have grown accustomed to features commonly available in Internet search engines. As a result, modern libraries are looking to next generation catalogs to replace or supplement the existing OPAC. This paper will examine common shortcomings of traditional OPACs, explore advantages offered by next generation catalogs, and, through examination of log data furnished by the TRLN, examine two implementations of the next generation catalog software Endeca at two similar research institutions

Stuck Between ‘the Rock’ and a Hard Place: Re-imagining Rural Newfoundland Feminine Subjectivities Beyond the Global Imaginary and Rural Crisis

There has been a growing body of research exploring the mobility experiences of rural youth as they migrate in search of work, education and leisure. In this paper we contribute to this body of knowledge by examining the mobility experiences of young women (16-24 years) living on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, Canada. In contrast to dominant constructions of rural crisis that position out of the way places as in decline, dying or dead, we argue that the young women in our study articulated complex, affective relations to place. In so doing they negotiated localized histories, prevailing social relations, broader discursive constructions and embodied affective connections in forging their emplaced feminine subjectivities. We argue that foregrounding the complex and at times contradictory relationships that the young women articulated with their rural homes is an important step in prying open dominant albeit constraining constructions of the rural, thereby allowing for alternative and more inhabitable imaginings of out of the way places