Henry James’s Hawthorne and American Romanticism : a study in literary conflict

Author's OriginalPolley, D. (2010, April). Henry James’s Hawthorne and American Romanticism: A Study in Literary Conflict. Northeast Modern Language Association Conference, Montreal

Realistically Low Species Evenness Does Not Alter Grassland Species-Richness-Productivity Relationships

Biodiversity is declining worldwide from reductions in both species richness and evenness. Field experiments have shown that primary productivity is often reduced when richness of plant species is lowered. However, experiments testing richness effects have used evenness levels that are much higher than normally encountered in plant communities and have been based on the assumption that species extinctions are random. We experimentally varied, for the first time, both species richness (1–8 perennial species/m2) and species evenness (near maximal vs. realistically low) in grassland plots. Net primary productivity (NPP) and ecosystem CO2 uptake declined when richness was reduced, and reductions were similar between evenness treatments. Richness effects were associated more with a selection effect than with complementarity (found only with high evenness). Importantly, extinctions in plots during the second year were not random, but were greater at low than at high evenness (i.e., with increased rarity) and in species with low aboveground growth rates. Thus, species evenness can affect grassland ecosystem processes indirectly by affecting species richness, and it will be imperative to understand how nonrandom extinctions affect NPP in future studies. Our results indicate that richness studies may not be biased by using mixtures with artificially high evenness levels, but the results also demonstrate that results from these studies are directly applicable only to communities in which plant extinctions are rando

Effects of Seed Additions and Grazing History on Diversity and Productivity of Subhumid Grasslands

Recent studies indicate that plant species richness and primary productivity of grasslands may be limited by seed availability. However, it is not known how widespread this limitation is, whether it is affected by disturbance, or which mechanisms underlie any disturbance effect. We tested for seed limitation and explored the role of litter accumulation in explaining effects of recent grazing history on seedling establishment, species diversity (richness and evenness), and plant productivity in a subhumid grassland ecosystem in Texas, USA. We added seeds and removed litter in a factorial treatment arrangement (seeds added, litter removed, seeds added and litter removed, and control [no seeds added nor litter removed]) within each of five fields: currently grazed, no grazing for 1–2, 2–3, or 6–7 yr, and an unplowed prairie remnant. Seeds from each of 20 native species were added to replicated 1-m2 plots in each field during each of two growing seasons. Adding seeds increased seedling emergence in all fields, but this increase was much greater when litter was removed, especially in ungrazed fields. Counter to our expectations, seedling emergence increased with time since grazing when litter was removed and was greatest in fields not grazed for 1–3 yr when litter was present. As expected, light availability at the soil surface decreased with time since grazing. However, soil water availability to 15 cm depth increased with time since grazing, suggesting that limits on seedling emergence changed from water to light with time since grazing. Aboveground productivity during the second year of the study was significantly reduced following seed additions in the four fields along the grazing gradient, primarily because of a decrease in the productivity of C4 grasses. Species diversity decreased with time since grazing. Seed additions slightly increased species richness but decreased species evenness in fields located along the grazing gradient, resulting in no net effect on diversity. In the more species-rich prairie remnant, seed additions had no effect on aboveground productivity or species richness or evenness. These results suggest that seedling emergence does not relate linearly to time since grazing and that seed availability does not limit productivity and diversity in these subhumid grasslands

Variability in community productivity—mediating effects of vegetation attributes

Plant productivity varies through time in response to environmental fluctuations. Reducing variability in productivity requires an improved understanding of how plant community attributes interact with environmental fluctuations to influence plant growth dynamics. We evaluated links between two community attributes, species diversity and abundance‐weighted values of specific leaf area (SLA), and temporal variability in grassland productivity at patch (local) and aggregate (multipatch) spatial scales. Aggregate communities were created by combining patches of spatially distinct communities of perennial plant species from grassland biodiversity experiments in Texas, USA. Interannual variability in above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) of aggregate communities was analysed as a function of two multiplicative components, mean temporal variability in the ANPP of patches and temporal synchrony in ANPP dynamics among patches. We used regression analyses to determine whether temporal variability in aggregate ANPP and its components were correlated with either species diversity or community‐weighted SLA over 5 years. Temporal variability in ANPP of aggregate communities was strongly correlated with temporal variability in patch ANPP. Increasing mean SLA reduced ANPP variability of aggregate communities by increasing mean productivity. Increased temporal changes in patch‐scale SLA further reduced temporal variability in aggregate ANPP by reducing effects of precipitation fluctuations on productivity. Conversely, increasing species diversity over the narrow range measured increased temporal variability in aggregate ANPP. High diversity was associated with reduced dominance of temporally stable C4 grasses. Our results implicate means and patch‐scale temporal dynamics in community SLA as potential indicators of variability in grassland primary productivity through time

Service Evaluation of 'Living Well with the Impact of Cancer' Courses

The aim of the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Living Well Service Evaluation was to measure the level of benefit that participants were receiving from the Penny Brohn Cancer Care(PBCC)Living Well course and to inform current and future service provision at PBCC. The Penny Brohn Whole Person Approach model(PB-WPA model), which underpins the Living Well course, was designed to support the ‘whole person’ and the course was intended to meet the needs of people with cancer, as identified by the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI). The combined qualitative and quantitative results of the Living Well Service Evaluation have demonstrated, very clearly at times, that participants were highly satisfied with the course. The immediate benefit of attending was measurable, in terms of improved health related quality of life (HRQoL) and improved MYCaW (Measure yourself Concerns and Wellbeing) concerns and wellbeing. The evaluation results show that the Living Well course experience enabled the majority of participants to regain control over many aspects of their life, and to start taking responsibility for their health. The following aspects of the course were identified as the most helpful: -Specific units of ‘education and explanation’ about cancer and why healthy lifestyle changes to areas such as diet, exercise and relaxation are beneficial -Advice and education from medical doctors -The opportunity to share experiences with other participants For some, this empowerment led to long-term changes in exercise, food consumption,use of self-help techniques and the ability to communicate more freely and openly with family, friends and medical professionals. These improvements were reflected in the 12 month outcome data, where a sustained improvement in HRQoL and MYCaW concerns was reported by many clients. Such patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are limited in what they can measure, thus qualitative data were also collected to ensure that participants were able to share their experiences (positive or negative) of the Living Well course, and their subsequent experiences of applying the education and techniques learnt on the course. A picture emerged that identified difficulties in sustaining lifestyle changes at around the 3-6 month follow-up. Participants who returned to PBCC within the 12 month follow-up period, however, were more likely to benefit by reporting a greater improvement in HRQoL and MYCaW scores, plus an improved understanding of how to make and maintain healthy lifestyle changes to suit their individual circumstances. In regards to the current NCSI priorities, it is hoped that the data reported in this evaluation go some way to informing the following: -Information and support from the point of diagnosis -Managing the consequences of treatment -Promoting recovery -Sustaining recovery -Supporting people with active and advanced disease -Improving survivorship intelligence Finally, this report demonstrates how a patient-centred model of support can be effectively evaluated to provide relevant, practical and evidence-based information to commissioners. Participant satisfaction: Participants were very satisfied with the course content, course delivery and resources provided which often exceeded their needs and expectations. Participant outcomes: The PB-WPA model successfully encompassed and supported all the types of concerns participants arrived with. The most frequently reported participant concerns were psychological and emotional,about their wellbeing and about their physical health. On average, participants experienced statistically and clinically significant improvements in their MYCaW concern and wellbeing scores, and total HRQoL scores,which remained improved over the 12 month follow-up. The aspects of HRQoL that were most likely to improve after attending the Living Well course were spiritual, emotional and functional wellbeing. Supporters had their own profile of concerns, namely psychological and emotional,supporter specific concerns and practical concerns. Concerns were as severely rated as those from participants with a diagnosis of cancer and also showed statistically significant average improvements throughout the 12 month follow-up. The small group of participants with metastatic disease reported significant improvements in their MYCaW concern scores, in line with the whole evaluation group,and a significantly greater improvement in HRQoL over 12 months compared to participants with primary cancer.Participants who returned for more support from PBCC were in more need of support than those who did not return. They were more likely to have poorer HRQoL at baseline and rate their concerns more severely. Participants who returned to PBCC experienced more improvement in HRQoL that was likely to be clinically significant. These participants also had a greater degree of improvement in their MYCaW concerns, compared to non-returners. Over half of the participants experienced new concerns over the 12 month follow-up period. Concerns were most frequently associated with psychological and emotional and physical issues. Furthermore, at 12 months, participants were still experiencing arange of health issues

Sequential critical periods for the development of binaural integration in the infant mouse auditory cortex

Early binaural experience can recalibrate central auditory circuits that support spatial hearing. However, it is not known how binaural integration matures shortly after hearing onset or whether various developmental stages are differentially impacted by disruptions of normal binaural experience. Here we induce a brief, reversible unilateral conductive hearing loss (CHL) at several experimentally determined milestones in mouse primary auditory cortex (A1) development and characterize its effects approximately one week after normal hearing is restored. We find that experience shapes A1 binaural selectivity during two early critical periods. CHL before P16 disrupts the normal co-registration of interaural frequency tuning, whereas CHL on P16, but not before or after, disrupts interaural level difference (ILD) sensitivity contained in long-latency spikes. These data highlight an evolving plasticity in the developing auditory cortex that may relate to the etiology of amblyaudia, a binaural hearing impairment associated with bouts of otitis media during human infancy

Micro-macro relationship between microstructure, porosity, mechanical properties, and build mode parameters of a selective-electron-beam-melted Ti-6Al-4V alloy

The performance of two selective electron beam melting operation modes, namely the manual mode and the automatic ‘build theme mode’, have been investigated for the case of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy (45–105 μ;m average particle size of the powder) in terms of porosity, microstructure, and mechanical properties. The two operation modes produced notable differences in terms of build quality (porosity), microstructure, and properties over the sample thickness. The number and the average size of the pores were measured using a light microscope over the entire build height. A density measurement provided a quantitative index of the global porosity throughout the builds. The selective-electron-beam-melted microstructure was mainly composed of a columnar prior β-grain structure, delineated by α-phase boundaries, oriented along the build direction. A nearly equilibrium α + β mixture structure, formed from the original β-phase, arranged inside the prior β-grains as an α-colony or α-basket weave pattern, whereas the β-phase enveloped α-lamellae. The microstructure was finer with increasing distance from the build plate regardless of the selected build mode. Optical measurements of the α-plate width showed that it varied as the distance from the build plate varied. This microstructure parameter was correlated at the sample core with the mechanical properties measured by means of a macro-instrumented indentation test, thereby confirming Hall-Petch law behavior for strength at a local scale for the various process conditions. The tensile properties, while attesting to the mechanical performance of the builds over a macro scale, also validated the indentation property measurement at the core of the samples. Thus, a direct correlation between the process parameters, microstructure, porosity, and mechanical properties was established at the micro and macro scales. The macro-instrumented indentation test has emerged as a reliable, easy, quick, and yet non-destructive alternate means to the tensile test to measure tensile-like properties of selective-electron-beam-melted specimens. Furthermore, the macro-instrumented indentation test can be used effectively in additive manufacturing for a rapid setting up of the process, that is, by controlling the microscopic scale properties of the samples, or to quantitatively determine a product quality index of the final builds, by taking advantage of its intrinsic relationship with the tensile properties

Integrative Whole Person Oncology Care in the UK

The term ‘whole person cancer care’ - an approach that addresses the needs of the person as well as treating the disease - is more widely understood in the UK than its synonym ‘integrative oncology”. The National Health Service (NHS), provides free access to care for all, which makes it harder to prioritise NHS funding of whole person medicine, where interventions may be multi-modal and lacking in cost-effectiveness data. Despite this, around 30% of cancer patients are known to use some form of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). This is virtually never medically led, and usually without the support or even the knowledge of their oncology teams, with the exception of one or two large cancer centres. UK oncology services are, however, starting to be influenced from three sides; firstly, by well-developed and more holistic palliative care services; secondly, by directives from central government via the sustainable healthcare agenda; and thirdly, by increasing pressure from patient-led groups and cancer charities. CAM remains unlikely to be provided through the NHS, but nutrition, physical activity, mindfulness, and stress management are already becoming a core part of the NHS ‘Living With and Beyond Cancer’ agenda. This supports cancer survivors into stratified pathways of care, based on individual, self-reported holistic needs and risk assessments, which are shared between healthcare professionals and patients. Health and Wellbeing events are being built into cancer care pathways, designed to activate patients into self-management and support positive lifestyle change. Those with greater needs can be directed towards appropriate external providers, where many examples of innovative practice exist. These changes in policy and vision for the NHS present an opportunity for Integrative Oncology to develop further and to reach populations who would, in many other countries, remain underserved or hard-to-reach by whole person approaches

Biodiversity, Productivity and the Temporal Stability of Productivity: Patterns and Processes

Theory predicts that the temporal stability of productivity, measured as the ratio of the mean to the standard deviation of community biomass, increases with species richness and evenness. We used experimental species mixtures of grassland plants to test this hypothesis and identified the mechanisms involved. Additionally, we tested whether biodiversity, productivity and temporal stability were similarly influenced by particular types of species interactions. We found that productivity was less variable among years in plots planted with more species. Temporal stability did not depend on whether the species were planted equally abundant (high evenness) or not (realistically low evenness). Greater richness increased temporal stability by increasing overyielding, asynchrony of species fluctuations and statistical averaging. Species interactions that favoured unproductive species increased both biodiversity and temporal stability. Species interactions that resulted in niche partitioning or facilitation increased both productivity and temporal stability. Thus, species interactions can promote biodiversity and ecosystem services