Nutritional quality and calorific value of Amazonian forest litter

A study on the nutritional quality of litter from an Amazon terra firme forest was carried out to supplement quantitative data on litter production previously published by KLINGE and RODRIGUES (1968). Analyses for the following constituents were carried out: cell-wall and non cell-wall fractions, crude protein, total mineral ash, polyphenols, and caloric values. Reasons are given for choosing these variables. Mineral ash and protein values were very low, whilst cell-wall fractions, which are a measure of the amount of undigestible material, were high, as were caloric values. Polyphenols were also relatively high. These factors together indicate that the litter is a very low grade forage. Amazon leaf litter has high caloric values compared with published figures from other tropical forests. The following hypothesis was offered to explain these high values: as mineral nutrients are severely limiting in this ecosystem, not all the products of photosynthesis can be channeled into plant growth. Large proportions of these photosynthetic products are therefore probably accumulated in the leaves as reduced high energy compounds such as waxes, resins etc. Available data do in fact indicate that primary production is relatively low. The low quality forage which the leaf litter offers may be a contributing factor to the low animal biomass of the Amazon forests

THE FUTURE OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS FOR SOUTHERN COMMODITIES

Political Economy,

Digital Repository of Mathematical Formulae

The purpose of the NIST Digital Repository of Mathematical Formulae (DRMF) is to create a digital compendium of mathematical formulae for orthogonal polynomials and special functions (OPSF) and of associated mathematical data. The DRMF addresses needs of working mathematicians, physicists and engineers: providing a platform for publication and interaction with OPSF formulae on the web. Using MediaWiki extensions and other existing technology (such as software and macro collections developed for the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions), the DRMF acts as an interactive web domain for OPSF formulae. Whereas Wikipedia and other web authoring tools manifest notions or descriptions as first class objects, the DRMF does that with mathematical formulae. See http://gw32.iu.xsede.org/index.php/Main_Page

The Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Humans: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Cross-Over Study Using Laser-Evoked Potentials

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide regulating social‐affiliative and reproductive behaviour in mammals. Despite robust preclinical evidence for the antinociceptive effects and mechanisms of action of exogenous oxytocin, human studies have produced mixed results regarding the analgesic role of oxytocin and are yet to show a specific modulation of neural processes involved in pain perception. In the present study, we investigated the analgesic effects of 40 IU of intranasal oxytocin in 13 healthy male volunteers using a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over design and brief radiant heat pulses generated by an infrared laser that selectively activate Aδ‐ and C‐fibre nerve endings in the epidermis, at the same time as recording the ensuing laser‐evoked potentials (LEPs). We predicted that oxytocin would reduce subjective pain ratings and attenuate the amplitude of the N1, N2 and P2 components. We observed that oxytocin attenuated perceived pain intensity and the local peak amplitude of the N1 and N2 (but not of P2) LEPs, and increased the latency of the N2 component. Importantly, for the first time, the present study reports an association between the analgesic effect of oxytocin (reduction in subjective pain ratings) and the oxytocin‐induced modulation of cortical activity after noxious stimulation (attenuation of the N2 LEP). These effects indicate that oxytocin modulates neural processes contributing to pain perception. The present study reports preliminary evidence that is consistent with electrophysiological studies in rodents showing that oxytocin specifically modulates Aδ/C‐fibre nociceptive afferent signalling at the spinal level and provides further specificity to evidence obtained in humans indicating that oxytocin may be modulating pain experience by modulating activity in the cortical areas involved in pain processing

Change in the distribution of the indigenous grass Poa litorosa on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island following the eradication of rabbits.

The recent eradication of rabbits, rats and mice from Macquarie Island has resulted in unprecedented changes to the vegetation. One unforeseen outcome is the expansion in the known distribution of the indigenous grass, Poa litorosa (L.) which was known from only four restricted populations on Macquarie Island prior to 2014. An increase in abundance of P. litorosa was observed in 2014 and so we undertook surveys to document changes in the known distribution of the species and established fixed transects in the new and previously recorded populations to monitor future changes. Monitoring of an exclosure and control plot over a 24-year period gave insights into past effects of rabbit grazing on the species. Our surveys documented a dramatic increase in the known distribution of the species. Existing populations have expanded and new populations have been recorded. Monitoring of the exclosure and control plot revealed suppression of P. litorosa plants in control plots in comparison to fenced plots during peak rabbit numbers, and so we attribute the population expansion to the recent eradication of rabbits and subsequent release of grazing pressure. This research contributes to the increasing bank of knowledge of changes occurring on Macquarie Island post-eradication and highlights the importance of monitoring to detect unforeseen changes

Antiquity at the National Memorial Arboretum

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Heritage Studies on 16/1/2013 available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13527258.2012.757556The paper explores the use of ancient and historic material cultures and architectures within the recent resurgence in public commemoration in the UK. Using the case study of the National Memorial Arboretum (Staffordshire), the study focuses on how ancient designs (including prehistoric, classical and medieval styles and forms) interleave with the arboreal, geological and celestial themes of the memorial gardens. Together these designs serve to create a multitude of temporal poises by which auras of commemorative perpetuity and regeneration are projected and sustained. The paper proposes that archaeologists can bring their expertise to bear on the investigation of the complex, varied allusions to the past within contemporary landscapes of memory.This book chapter was submitted to the RAE2014 for the University of Chester - Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology