Characterization of a midwestern fishery with limited exploitation

Ada Hayden Heritage Park, Ames, Iowa, a mesotrophic quarry-pit fishery, was opened for new public exploitation on July 1, 2004 after many decades of private ownership and limited exploitation. A monthly, electro-fishing, population survey was conducted to both characterize the fishery and document any significant angler impacts from June 2003 to October 2004; an expandable creel survey was conducted from July 2004 to October 2004 to estimate angler use and analyze harvest change. The fishery is characterized by little to no structural habitat, high water quality, high diversity of 32 fish taxa including gizzard shad, low sport fish biomass, and an unbalanced bluegill population. Angler use peaked in July 2004 with 220 angler hrs/ha and fell rapidly to low levels. Creeled crappie, channel catfish, and yellow perch saw significant declines in average weight over time. Creel catch per unit effort (CPUE) did not significantly change as angling progressed for any species. Approximately 80% of the total fish biomass harvested since July 2004 was crappie species. Bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch, freshwater drum, and green sunfish comprised the remaining 20%. Angler exploitation rate of bluegill [greater than or equal to] 100 mm during the creel period was 13%. No significant changes in CPUE, proportional stock densities, and relative weights were detected after this fishery was opened to public fishing. However, largemouth bass stomach analyses indicated increased gizzard shad use after exploitation began. Due to the limited scope of the post-exploitation study period, future changes due to exploitation may be possible

LIES, DAMN LIES, AND PRIVACY PROMISES

Health apps and other consumer technologies collect massive amounts of sensitive data, including but not limited to information about users’ reproductive lives. As a result, consumer choices—especially for menstruation tracking applications—are at least partly driven by privacy promises in advertising and privacy policies. But there is a problem: whether these promises are grounded in reality can often only be revealed by complex analyses outside the capabilities of the majority of consumers and, even then, may be unknowable in any definitive sense. This essay explores this problem in the context of menstruation tracking applications and post-Dobbs legal developments that implicate reproductive data. In it, we question the adequacy of existing laws and regulations and the limitations of even the most robust proposed legislation and underscore that if we cannot solve the problem of privacy lies, any hard-fought reforms will be hollow

Nottingham on film: part 1 & 2

Nottingham on Film, written, produced and edited by filmmaker Andy McKay pieces together rarely seen and newly restored films of the city of Nottingham from 1920 to 1980, arranging these hidden gems into ten themes so the viewer can choose how to make their exploration of twentieth century Nottingham. Known as “The Queen of the Midlands”, Nottingham is an ancient city with a rich cultural and industrial history. The twentieth century saw rapid change for Nottingham, in the market square - the largest in England outside the capital and scene of many civic celebrations, in industry and transport, as well as in everyday life - and the new medium of film was there to record this change. Among the rarely seen films, all preserved by MACE, are scenes of enjoyment at the Goose Fair, coronation celebrations, life on the shop floor in knitwear, lace, bicycle and tobacco manufacture, trade on the River Trent and a wealth of news reports from ITV’s regional news magazine programme, ATV Today. These include the opening of Nottingham Playhouse and building work of the ‘new’ Victoria Centre in 1964

Worcestershire on film

Worcestershire on Film, produced and edited by filmmaker Andy McKay a, pieces together rarely seen and newly restored 20th century films of the county that are preserved at the Media Archive for Central England (MACE). Worcestershire is a county steeped in history and between its rolling countryside and Rivers Avon and Severn sit towns, villages and communities rich in manufacturing, crop growing and cultural heritage, from market gardening in the Vale of Evesham to carpet making in Kidderminster. Amongst the films are a variety of reports from the regional news programme ATV Today which ran from 1964 to 1981, including: village reaction to the possible sale of Bredon church spire to America in 1968; the 1969 demolition of the house on Rainbow Hill where Sir Edward Elgar died; apple picking and asparagus farming in the 1960s and 1970s and reports from the 1960s to 1980s on flooding in the county when the River Severn burst its banks. There is also a focus on industry including a 1925 film illustrating carpet making in Kidderminster and a look at needle making in Redditch in 1968. A variety of films captured with skill by amateur filmmakers can also be seen, including shots of Winston Churchill’s visit to Worcester on 20th May 1950. This section includes a glimpse of the newly discovered letters between Churchill and the city’s mayor, encouraging Churchill to make this visit after he was granted the freedom of the city in 1945. These hidden gems have been arranged into seven themes so you can choose how you want to make your exploration of twentieth century Worcestershire

The shelf life of wine

The aim of this project was to investigate and develop models for the shelf life of bottled wine and, in particular, the effects of elevated temperatures to the ageing process. The problem was divided into three sub-problems. First, calculations were made to describe the temperature of wine in a single bottle when subjected to an elevated external temperature, and then this was extended to pallets of cartons of wine. Second, equations were derived for the gas flow through the cork when a wine bottle is subject to oscillatory external temperatures, as is common in a domestic storage situation. Third, the temperature dependent reaction rates of the wine ageing process were considered and calculations performed on how elevated decrease shelf life. Suggestions were made as to relatively simple experiments that can be performed to test the models presented here

Derbyshire on film: Vol. 1 the Peak District

Derbyshire on Film – The Peak District, written, produced and edited by filmmaker Andy McKay, is a series of beautiful amateur and professional films which have been enhanced, re-edited and themed to illustrate life in this mesmerising county. The Peak District became the UK’s first National Park in 1951 following the famous Kinder Mass Trespass in 1932 and years of subsequent campaigning by ramblers to be allowed access to the Peaks’ open moors. It covers a huge area, not all of which is in Derbyshire, and its landscape, traditions and industries are as diverse as each other, from the limestone dales of the White Peak to the wilder north of the Dark Peak. In this DVD you will hear ATV Today’s Gwyn Richards tell the tale of the flooding of Derwent Village and Ashopton to make way for Ladybower Reservoir; see the blizzards of 1938 and hear the snow poem by Derbyshire poet Mark Gwynne Jones; watch the quarrying and cutting of Blue John; hear memories of those who took part in the mass trespass of 1932; look back at Chatsworth and Haddon Hall in the 1960s and families enjoying the countryside in the 1950s and 1960s; marvel at how little Dovedale has changed since the 1930s, all through a marvellous collection of archive films preserved at the Media Archive for Central Englan

Migrations - Nami Island November 2018

This document provides an update on the Migrations Exhibition held on Nami Island, 2018

Discordance in investigator-reported and adjudicated sudden death in TIOSPIR

Accurate and consistent determination of cause of death is challenging in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. TIOSPIR (N=17 135) compared the safety and efficacy of tiotropium Respimat 5/2.5 µg with HandiHaler 18 µg in COPD patients. All-cause mortality was a primary end-point. A mortality adjudication committee (MAC) assessed all deaths. We aimed to investigate causes of discordance in investigator-reported and MAC-adjudicated causes of death and their impact on results, especially cardiac and sudden death. The MAC provided independent, blinded assessment of investigator-reported deaths (n=1302) and assigned underlying cause of death. Discordance between causes of death was assessed descriptively (shift tables). There was agreement between investigator-reported and MAC-adjudicated deaths in 69.4% of cases at the system organ class level. Differences were mainly observed for cardiac deaths (16.4% investigator, 5.1% MAC) and deaths assigned to general disorders including sudden death (17.4% investigator, 24.6% MAC). Reasons for discrepancies included investigator attribution to the immediate (e.g. myocardial infarction (MI)) over the underlying cause of death (e.g. COPD) and insufficient information for a definitive cause. Cause-specific mortality varies in COPD, depending on the method of assignment. Sudden death, witnessed and unwitnessed, is common in COPD and often attributed to MI without supporting evidence

General Practitioners' views on the provision of nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) and a new drug, bupropion, are licensed in several countries as aids to smoking cessation. General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in recommending or prescribing these medications. In the UK there has been discussion about whether the medications should be reimbursable by the National Health Service (NHS). This study assessed English GPs' attitudes towards reimbursement of NRT and bupropion. METHODS: Postal survey of a randomly selected national sample of GPs; 376 GPs completed the questionnaire after one reminder; effective response rate: 53%. There was no difference between the responses of GPs who responded to the initial request and those who responded only after a reminder suggesting minimal bias due to non-response. RESULTS: Attitudes of GPs were remarkably divided on most issues relating to the medications. Forty-three percent thought that bupropion should not be on NHS prescription while 42% thought that it should be (15% did not know); Fifty percent thought that NRT should not be on NHS prescription while 42% thought it should be (8% did not know). Requiring that smokers attend behavioural support programmes to be eligible to receive the medications on NHS prescription made no appreciable difference to the GPs' views. GPs were similarly divided on whether having the medications reimbursable would add unacceptably to their workload or offer a welcome opportunity to discuss smoking with their patients. A principal components analysis of responses to the individual questions on NRT and bupropion revealed that GPs' attitudes could be understood in terms of a single 'pro-con' dimension accounting for 53% of the total variance which made no distinction between the two medications. CONCLUSIONS: GPs in England appear to be divided in their attitudes to medications to aid smoking cessation and appear not to discriminate in their views between different types of medication or different aspects of their use. This suggests that their attitudes are generated by quite fundamental values. Addressing these values may be important in encouraging GPs to adhere more closely to national and international guidelines

Is classical biological control a 20th century" old science" paradigm that is losing its way?

For years most countries accepted the benefits of biological control as given, leading to facilitated inside lanes through the regulatory maze. "Successes" led to many passionate disciples over science rationalists. Biocontrol targets continue to be selected on assumptions of good value with little direct evidence. Even when successful, biocontrol has rarely delivered environmental benefits that have been measured. Money flow is still healthy, but is arguably being directed against less impactful targets. Lack of science rigour exposes the field to attacks from an increasing number of critics as values change. A global change driven counter-revolution is underway on the dichotomy of hate between natives and aliens. Will climate change undermine even currently successful biocontrol outcomes? Meanwhile negative direct and indirect impacts of biological continue to fuel dissent. Nowhere is this issue hotter than in Hawaii where "invaders" have massively increased biodiversity, make up nearly all the biomass and create whole new ecosystems. This workshop will entertain a panel discussion around the future for classical biological control of weeds. Does it need to change its paradigm in response to changing societal values, if so can it reinvent itself