New and noteworthy bird records from the island of Seram, Maluku

A number of interesting bird records were made by a team of ten biologists from Cambridge University (UK), Universitas Pattimura (Ambon, Maluku), and Wetlands International, (Indonesia), during a three month research and conservation project in 1996 in the proposed Cagar Alam (Nature Reserve) of Wae Bula in northeast Seram. This paper documents five species previously unrecorded on the island and provides information concerning several species of interest in terms of distribution or conservation. Seram still holds large tracts of unexplored and unsurveyed forest which are likely to hold important populations of threatened and endemic species; future visitors are encouraged to extend our limited knowledge of the avifauna of this island

Pelvic fin walking and punting behaviour of Raja radula Delaroche, 1809 observed in the Sea of Marmara

A mature female rough ray (Raja radula Delaroche, 1809) individual was observed at Sea of Marmara during a scuba dive to perform pelvic fin walking and punting, which was a previously unrecorded rajid behaviour from the Mediterranean Sea. The underwater video footage were analyzed, in which the average distance travelled per punt was measured as 0.40 disc length (DL) at an average speed of 0.26DL per second

Outcome measurement of refractory breathlessness: Endpoints and important differences

© 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Purpose of review Standardized measurement of self-rated breathlessness using appropriate tools is essential for research and clinical care. The purpose was to review recent advances in the measurement of breathlessness and the minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) in intensity of chronic breathlessness. Recent findings Two tools have been validated in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to measure daily symptoms and breathlessness related to daily activities. Two multidimensional tools have been developed for different settings and aetiologies, which measure both the perceived intensity, unpleasantness, quality of breathlessness, and the person's emotional response to it. MCIDs have been reported for the intensity of chronic refractory breathlessness, the daily symptom diary, and breathlessness related to daily activities in COPD. Summary There have been substantial developments in instruments able to provide reliable and valid unidimensional and multidimensional measurement of self-reported breathlessness and in the understanding of the MCID for chronic breathlessness. Routine use of agreed outcome measures in clinical practice and research are crucial steps to improve our understanding of the science of breathlessness and its impact on patients' outcomes

A note on the spectral analysis of matrix sequences via GLT momentary symbols: from all-at-once solution of parabolic problems to distributed fractional order matrices

The first focus of this paper is the characterization of the spectrum and the singular values of the coefficient matrix stemming from the discretization of a parabolic diffusion problem using a space-time grid and secondly from the approximation of distributed-order fractional equations. For this purpose we use the classical GLT theory and the new concept of GLT momentary symbols. The first permits us to describe the singular value or eigenvalue asymptotic distribution of the sequence of the coefficient matrices. The latter permits us to derive a function that describes the singular value or eigenvalue distribution of the matrix of the sequence, even for small matrix sizes, but under given assumptions. The paper is concluded with a list of open problems, including the use of our machinery in the study of iteration matrices, especially those concerning multigrid-type techniques

Close binary evolution. III. Impact of tides, wind magnetic braking, and internal angular momentum transport

Massive stars with solar metallicity lose important amounts of rotational angular momentum through their winds. When a magnetic field is present at the surface of a star, efficient angular momentum losses can still be achieved even when the mass-loss rate is very modest, at lower metallicities, or for lower-initial-mass stars. In a close binary system, the effect of wind magnetic braking also interacts with the influence of tides, resulting in a complex evolution of rotation. We study the interactions between the process of wind magnetic braking and tides in close binary systems. We discuss the evolution of a 10 M$_\odot$ star in a close binary system with a 7 M$_\odot$ companion using the Geneva stellar evolution code. The initial orbital period is 1.2 days. The 10 M$_\odot$ star has a surface magnetic field of 1 kG. Various initial rotations are considered. We use two different approaches for the internal angular momentum transport. In one of them, angular momentum is transported by shear and meridional currents. In the other, a strong internal magnetic field imposes nearly perfect solid-body rotation. The evolution of the primary is computed until the first mass-transfer episode occurs. The cases of different values for the magnetic fields and for various orbital periods and mass ratios are briefly discussed. We show that, independently of the initial rotation rate of the primary and the efficiency of the internal angular momentum transport, the surface rotation of the primary will converge, in a time that is short with respect to the main-sequence lifetime, towards a slowly evolving velocity that is different from the synchronization velocity. (abridged).Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Children's construction task performance and spatial ability: controlling task complexity and predicting mathematics performance.

This paper presents a methodology to control construction task complexity and examined the relationships between construction performance and spatial and mathematical abilities in children. The study included three groups of children (N = 96); ages 7-8, 10-11, and 13-14 years. Each group constructed seven pre-specified objects. The study replicated and extended previous findings that indicated that the extent of component symmetry and variety, and the number of components for each object and available for selection, significantly predicted construction task difficulty. Results showed that this methodology is a valid and reliable technique for assessing and predicting construction play task difficulty. Furthermore, construction play performance predicted mathematical attainment independently of spatial ability

Contrasting Effects of Al Substitution on Microbial Reduction of Fe(III) (Hydr)oxides

Aluminum, one of the most abundant elements in soils and sediments, is commonly found co-precipitated with Fe in natural Fe(III) (hydr)oxides; yet, little is known about how Al substitution impacts bacterial Fe(III) reduction. Accordingly, we investigated the reduction of Al substituted (0–13 mol% Al) goethite, lepidocrocite, and ferrihydrite by the model dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium (DIRB), Shewanella putrefaciens CN32. Here we reveal that the impact of Al on microbial reduction varies with Fe(III) (hydr)oxide type. No significant difference in Fe(III) reduction was observed for either goethite or lepidocrocite as a function of Al substitution. In contrast, Fe(III) reduction rates significantly decreased with increasing Al substitution of ferrihydrite, with reduction rates of 13% Al-ferrihydrite more than 50% lower than pure ferrihydrite. Although Al substitution changed the minerals’ surface area, particle size, structural disorder, and abiotic dissolution rates, we did not observe a direct correlation between any of these physiochemical properties and the trends in bacterial Fe(III) reduction. Based on projected Al-dependent Fe(III) reduction rates, reduction rates of ferrihydrite fall below those of lepidocrocite and goethite at substitution levels equal to or greater than 18 mol% Al. Given the prevalence of Al substitution in natural Fe(III) (hydr)oxides, our results bring into question the conventional assumptions about Fe (hydr)oxide bioavailability and suggest a more prominent role of natural lepidocrocite and goethite phases in impacting DIRB activity in soils and sediments.Engineering and Applied Science