Debunking paradigms in estuarine fish species richness

The comparison of species complements within and between habitats and geographical areas is a fundamental aspect of ecological assessments. However, many influences resulting from variability in sampling and data analysis often hinder the ability to determine important patterns in community structure. The study is based on the hypothesis that using a standard sampling method, an asymptote in the rarefaction curve represents the total (gear-specific) species complement likely to be encountered for the geographical area. Accordingly, an asymptotic species richness estimator was used to predict the full complement of species present within each estuary that could be caught using seine netting. The rarefaction curves and species richness estimator enable the interrogation of two underlying paradigms of ecological species richness: the species-energy relationship and the species-area relationship. This analysis reveals distinct groups which show a significant relationship with latitude and size, although the size effect has a smaller influence. In particular, the species-latitude relationship paradigm holds true in this study while the species-area relationship paradigm only applies when latitude is considered concomitantly. Marine species in particular appear to account for the increased fish species number at lower latitudes. The underlying influence of latitude and estuary size suggests that any managerial tool that explores anthropogenic impacts (such as those used in the European Water Framework Directive) should include these aspects. It is concluded that the analysis gives environmental managers an objective cost-beneficial method of identifying when and where further sampling does not give further information for management

Patterns of symptoms possibly indicative of cancer and associated help-seeking behaviour in a large sample of United Kingdom residents - the USEFUL study

Background.Cancer awareness campaigns aim to increase awareness of the potential seriousness of signs and symptoms of cancer, and encourage their timely presentation to healthcare services. Enhanced understanding of the prevalence of symptoms possibly indicative of cancer in different population subgroups, and associated general practitioner (GP) help-seeking behaviour, will help to target cancer awareness campaigns more effectively.Aim.To determine: i) the prevalence of 21 symptoms possibly indicative of breast, colorectal, lung or upper gastrointestinal cancer in the United Kingdom (UK), including six ‘red flag’ symptoms; ii) whether the prevalence varies among population subgroups; iii) the proportion of symptoms self-reported as presented to GPs; iv) whether GP help-seeking behaviour varies within population subgroups.Methods.Self-completed questionnaire about experience of, and response to, 25 symptoms (including 21 possibly indicative of the four cancers of interest) in the previous month and year; sent to 50,000 adults aged 50 years or more and registered with 21 general practices in Staffordshire, England or across Scotland. Results.Completed questionnaires were received from 16,778 respondents (corrected response rate 34.2%). Almost half (45.8%) of respondents had experienced at least one symptom possibly indicative of cancer in the last month, and 58.5% in the last year. The prevalence of individual symptoms varied widely (e.g. in the last year between near zero% (vomiting up blood) and 15.0% (tired all the time). Red flag symptoms were uncommon. Female gender, inability to work because of illness, smoking, a history of a specified medical diagnosis, low social support and lower household income were consistently associated with experiencing at least one symptom possibly indicative of cancer in both the last month and year. The proportion of people who had contacted their GP about a symptom experienced in the last month varied between 8.1% (persistent cough) and 39.9% (unexplained weight loss); in the last year between 32.8% (hoarseness) and 85.4% (lump in breast). Nearly half of respondents experiencing at least one red flag symptom in the last year did not contact their GP about it. Females, those aged 80+ years, those unable to work because of illness, ex-smokers and those previously diagnosed with a specified condition were more likely to report a symptom possibly indicative of cancer to their GP; and those on high household income less likely.Conclusion.Symptoms possibly indicative of cancer are common among adults aged 50+ years in the UK, although they are not evenly distributed. Help-seeking responses to different symptoms also vary. Our results suggest important opportunities to provide more nuanced messaging and targeting of symptom-based cancer awareness campaigns

Apparatus and method for gelling liquefied gasses

The present invention is a method and apparatus for gelling liquid propane and other liquefied gasses. The apparatus includes a temperature controlled churn mixer, vacuum pump, liquefied gas transfer tank, and means for measuring amount of material entering the mixer. The method uses gelling agents such as silicon dioxide, clay, carbon, or organic or inorganic polymers, as well as dopants such as titanium, aluminum, and boron powders. The apparatus and method are particularly useful for the production of high quality rocket fuels and propellants

Impacts of the criminalization on the everyday lives of people living in with HIV in Canada

As part of a study on the social consequences of the criminal justice system on people living with HIV or AIDS (PHAs) in Canada, this article focuses on how heightened public identification of HIV with criminal matters is having wide ranging effects on perceived personal security and in particular on negotiating potential romantic and sexual interactions. As articulated by the Supreme Court of Canada, the courts have been enforcing a requirement that HIV-positive people disclose their sero-status to prospective partners, relying on the notion that “through deterrence it [the Criminal Code] will protect and serve to encourage honesty, frankness and safer sexual practices.” Nevertheless an accumulating set of evidence in the social and health sciences is pointing toward the difficulties of carrying out this directive in everyday life and toward the ways in which the application of law creates counter-productive or unanticipated consequences that can run contrary to the ostensible objective of discouraging behaviour likely to transmit HIV

The struggle that cannot be named: violence, space and the re-articulation of anti-racism in post-Duggan Britain

The history of black struggles in Britain has often centred on spaces of violence and resistance. While there has been significant attention paid to how racism is articulated through particular places, less has been said about anti-racism being communicated through its associations with space and place. Using Tottenham (north London) as a case study, I draw on ethnographic observations at demonstrations and public meetings, in addition to semi-structured interviews with anti-racist activists resisting policing in post-2011 London. This paper argues that, over time, racist metonyms describing places racialised as black have led to the rise of a metonymic anti-racism. Metonymic anti-racism is used alongside more overt anti-racist language, and has profound implications for understanding struggles against police racism in Britain. The paper analyses these implications, contextualizing them historically, in light of neoliberalised racial discourses and how anti-racist metonyms shape articulations of black struggle against policing in post-2011 Tottenham

On the fatigue improvement of railways superstructure components due to cold expansion – Part I: Experimental analysis

The fatigue strength improvement of materials and structures has always been the subject of studies, as a consequence of the rapid development of technologies and strictive safety requirements. In the railway field the fatigue resistance problem is thoroughly studied due to high transportation safety standard. Fatigue cracking is a major issue, in particular at rail-end-bolt holes. Cold Expansion is a common technique to induce beneficial residual compressive stresses around the holes, with the aim to improve the fatigue life of the rail. This paper is the first of a two part-series dealing with the study of the residual stress-strain field induced by the cold expansion process around rail-end-bolt holes. In Part I of this series, a contribution to better understanding the whole strain field distribution arising around rail-end-bolt holes during and after cold expansion is presented. Strains were experimentally measured using both electrical strain gauges and 2D-Digital Image Correlation. Contrary to common literature, strain-time history during the entire cold expansion process was investigated, in order to capture the highly non-linear elasto-plastic response of the material; the results of this study has been used in Part II of this series for the validation of the finite element model described there. The cold expansion process was applied to three rail holes, having equal nominal diameter. At first, the experimental results concerning each expanded hole are analysed. Then, all the results are compared, in order to evaluate the repeatability: - of the measurements; - of the Cold Expansion process; - of the adopted experimental technique, and, above all, to extrapolate the distribution of the hoop and radial residual strains as a function of the distance from the hole edge. At the end, results obtained by strain gauges and 2D-Digital Image Correlation are compared: a good agreement is found on the central flat surface of the rail web, which guarantees the availability of a robust and valuable highly non-linear reference result that has been used for the validation of the finite element model presented in Part II of this series

On the fatigue improvement of railways superstructure components due to cold expansion – Part I: Experimental analysis

The fatigue strength improvement of materials and structures has always been the subject of studies, as a consequence of the rapid development of technologies and strictive safety requirements. In the railway field the fatigue resistance problem is thoroughly studied due to high transportation safety standard. Fatigue cracking is a major issue, in particular at rail-end-bolt holes. Cold Expansion is a common technique to induce beneficial residual compressive stresses around the holes, with the aim to improve the fatigue life of the rail. This paper is the first of a two part-series dealing with the study of the residual stress-strain field induced by the cold expansion process around rail-end-bolt holes. In Part I of this series, a contribution to better understanding the whole strain field distribution arising around rail-end-bolt holes during and after cold expansion is presented. Strains were experimentally measured using both electrical strain gauges and 2D-Digital Image Correlation. Contrary to common literature, strain-time history during the entire cold expansion process was investigated, in order to capture the highly non-linear elasto-plastic response of the material; the results of this study has been used in Part II of this series for the validation of the finite element model described there. The cold expansion process was applied to three rail holes, having equal nominal diameter. At first, the experimental results concerning each expanded hole are analysed. Then, all the results are compared, in order to evaluate the repeatability: - of the measurements; - of the Cold Expansion process; - of the adopted experimental technique, and, above all, to extrapolate the distribution of the hoop and radial residual strains as a function of the distance from the hole edge. At the end, results obtained by strain gauges and 2D-Digital Image Correlation are compared: a good agreement is found on the central flat surface of the rail web, which guarantees the availability of a robust and valuable highly non-linear reference result that has been used for the validation of the finite element model presented in Part II of this series