Spatial and Long-term Variability in Demersal Fish Species of the Western North Sea

Ph. D. ThesisThis thesis explores historical and contemporary patterns of spatial and temporal change in demersal fish species of the western North Sea. Comparing trawl data from over a century ago with those from contemporary trawl surveys are challenged by biases associated with differences in gear types and methods of operation. To compare contemporary data with rare 1892-1913 data from Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee surveys on the Northumberland coast (UK), an attempt was made to replicate the original trawl gear and methods used by drawing on the literature, historical photographs and expertise of the trawl industry. The replica gear, comprising a 6.7 m beam connecting two Brixham-style wroughtiron trawl heads with a triangular-shaped trawl net and rounded ground-rope, was trialled in August 2018 and March 2019, and catches were compared with a modern otter trawl. In the first trial period, the otter and replica beam trawl had similar efficiencies in catching flatfish, whereas catches made by the replica gear in March were either very low or zero. As a result, the otter trawl was employed in place of the replica gear in all subsequent resurveys and catches were standardised for comparison with historical surveys. Catches revealed substantial declines in the abundance of the overall inshore fish assemblage and among individual species between 1899-1913 and 2018-2019. Elasmobranchs and historically dominant species such as grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus were either completely absent or rare in the 2018-2019 surveys. Abundance-size spectra also exhibited significant differences between periods, declining more steeply in contemporary trawls. Analysis of demersal fish stomach contents data revealed large shifts in diet composition over the period spanning 1896-2015. Bivalves dominated plaice Pleuronectes platessa, dab Limanda limanda and haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus diets in the early and mid-20th century but declined ii substantially in subsequent decades. Conversely, polychaetes increased in importance by number and mass overtime and were the main prey resource for plaice in the 1970s and 2000s. These diet shifts point to likely changes in the benthic prey base of the North Sea, linked to increased beam trawling in the 1960s-1970s, eutrophication, and climatic processes. Finally, contemporary stomach contents and bulk stable isotope data were used as complementary techniques to assess temporal and spatial variation in the diet within and between two sympatric flatfishes, plaice and dab, in four coastal bays off the Northumberland coast. Stomach data indicated similar diets and significant dietary overlap at short temporal scales, yet dorsal muscle and liver tissue δ 13C, δ15N and δ 34S data revealed substantial interand intra-specific variation in resource use among sites and lower levels of niche overlap at longer time scales. Sandeels Ammodytes tobianus were highly abundant in flatfish stomachs, whereas Bayesian isotope mixing models indicated that squid were the important contributors to both predators. Dorsal and liver isotope data also indicated that bivalves and ophiuroids were major contributors to plaice and dab diet, respectively, across sites. These findings provide evidence of profound change in demersal fish species and their trophic ecology, further underpinning the value of using historical and contemporary data to elucidate broad-scale temporal and spatial patterns of changeCefas Seedcorn, The Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) at Newcastle Universit

Long-term change in a North Sea inshore fish assemblage between 1899-1913 and 2018-2019

GLH was supported by a Newcastle University SAgE DTA studentship with additional funding to GHE and JKP from a Cefas Seedcorn grant (DP371T). Special thanks to Neil Armstrong and Barry Pearson, skippers of the RV The Princess Royal, for their assistance in collecting fish samples at sea. We also thank Imogen Dent for her help processing samples at sea. We would also like to thank Alex Aitken at Northumberland Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (NIFCA) who gave input on management measures and byelaws for the study region. We are also grateful for the constructive comments provided by the anonymous reviewers.Peer reviewe

A paradigm for understanding whole ecosystem effects of offshore wind farms in shelf seas

We would like to thank Emma Ahart, David Bould, Constance Schéré, Marie Toulon, and Inne Withouck for comments on drafts. Also thanks to three anonymous reviewers and Howard Browman for constructive review.Peer reviewe

Designing a physical activity parenting course : parental views on recruitment, content and delivery

Background Many children do not engage in sufficient levels of physical activity (PA) and spend too much time screen-viewing (SV). High levels of SV (e.g. watching TV, playing video games and surfing the internet) and low levels of PA have been associated with adverse health outcomes. Parenting courses may hold promise as an intervention medium to change children’s PA and SV. The current study was formative work conducted to design a new parenting programme to increase children’s PA and reduce their SV. Specifically, we focussed on interest in a course, desired content and delivery style, barriers and facilitators to participation and opinions on control group provision. Methods In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with thirty two parents (29 female) of 6–8 year olds. Data were analysed thematically. An anonymous online survey was also completed by 750 parents of 6–8 year old children and descriptive statistics calculated. Results Interview participants were interested in a parenting course because they wanted general parenting advice and ideas to help their children be physically active. Parents indicated that they would benefit from knowing how to quantify their child’s PA and SV levels. Parents wanted practical ideas of alternatives to SV. Most parents would be unable to attend unless childcare was provided. Schools were perceived to be a trusted source of information about parenting courses and the optimal recruitment location. In terms of delivery style, the majority of parents stated they would prefer a group-based approach that provided opportunities for peer learning and support with professional input. Survey participants reported the timing of classes and the provision of childcare were essential factors that would affect participation. In terms of designing an intervention, the most preferred control group option was the opportunity to attend the same course at a later date. Conclusions Parents are interested in PA/SV parenting courses but the provision of child care is essential for attendance. Recruitment is likely to be facilitated via trusted sources. Parents want practical advice on how to overcome barriers and suggest advice is provided in a mutually supportive group experience with expert input

A Spanish version of the short Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (sMARS)

The aim of this studywas to adapt and assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the sMARS in terms of evidence of validity and reliability of scores. The sMARS was administered to 342 students and, in order to assess convergent and discriminant validity, several subsamples completed a series of related tests. The factorial structure of the sMARSwas analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis and results showed that the three-factor structure reported in the original test fits well with the data. Thus, three dimensions were established in the test: math test, numerical task and math course anxiety. The results of this study provide sound evidence that demonstrates the good psychometric properties of the scores of the Spanish version of the sMARS: strong internal consistency, high 7-week test-retest reliability and good convergent/discriminant validity were evident. Overall, this study provides an instrument that allows us to obtain valid and reliable math anxiety measurements. This instrument may be a useful tool for educators and psychologists interested in identifying individuals that may have a low level of math mastery because of their anxiety

Quantifying spatio-temporal consistency in the trophic ecology of two sympatric flatfishes

Sympatric flatfish predators may partition their resources in coastal environments to reduce competition and maximise foraging efficiency. However, the degree of spatial and temporal consistency in their trophic ecology is not well understood because dietary studies tend to overlook the heterogeneity of consumed prey. Increasing the spatial and temporal scale of dietary analyses can thus help to resolve predator resource use. We applied a stomach content and multi-tissue (liver and muscle) stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S) approach to investigate the feeding habits of two co-occurring flatfish predators, common dab (Limanda limanda) and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), across four bays on the Northumberland coast (UK) over short (hours), medium (days) and long (months) temporal scales. Stomach content analyses showed spatial consistencies in predator resource use, whereas stable isotope mixing models revealed considerable inter-bay diet variability. Stomach contents also indicated high dietary overlap between L. limanda and P. platessa, while the stable isotope data yielded low to moderate levels of overlap, with cases of complete niche separation. Furthermore, individual specialisation metrics indicated consistently low levels of specialisation among conspecifics over time. We document changes in resource partitioning in space and time, reflecting diet switching in response to local and temporal fluctuations of patchily distributed prey. This study highlights how trophic tracers integrated at multiple temporal and spatial scales (within tens of kilometres) provide a more integrative approach for assessing the trophic ecology of sympatric predators in dynamic environments

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

The status of women police officers: an international review

This paper reports on a survey of English-language police department websites, annual reports and other reports in order to identify key aspects of the status of women police internationally. Findings are reported for England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Eire, the United States, Canada, Australia (eight departments), New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. Data on the proportion of female officers were available from 18 of 23 locations, with a range between 5.1% and 28.8%. Recruit numbers were available for six locations, and ranged between 26.6% and 37.0%. Limited data on rank and deployment indicated overall improvements. Available longer-term trend data suggested that growth in female officers was slowing or levelling out. Overall, the study showed an urgent need to improve gender-based statistics in order to better inform strategies aimed at maximising the participation of women in policing

Augmented serum level of major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) protein and reduced NKG2D expression on NK and T cells in patients with cervical cancer and precursor lesions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. NK and cytotoxic T cells play an important role in the elimination of virus-infected and tumor cells through NKG2D activating receptors, which can promote the lysis of target cells by binding to the major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) proteins. Increased serum levels of MICA have been found in patients with epithelial tumors. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of soluble MICA (sMICA) and NKG2D-expressing NK and T cells in blood samples from patients with cervical cancer or precursor lesions with those from healthy donors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Peripheral blood with or without heparin was collected to obtain mononuclear cells or sera, respectively. Serum sMICA levels were measured by ELISA and NKG2D-expressing immune cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Also, a correlation analysis was performed to associate sMICA levels with either NKG2D expression or with the stage of the lesion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant amounts of sMICA were detected in sera from nearly all patients. We found a decrease in the number of NKG2D-expressing NK and T cells in both cervical cancer and lesion groups when compared to healthy donors. Pearson analysis showed a negative correlation between sMICA and NKG2D-expressing T cells; however, we did not find a significant correlation when the analysis was applied to sMICA and NKG2D expression on NK cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results show for the first time that high sMICA levels are found in sera from patients with both cervical cancer and precursor lesions when compared with healthy donors. We also observed a diminution in the number of NKG2D-expressing NK and T cells in the patient samples; however, a significant negative correlation between sMICA and NKG2D expression was only seen in T cells.</p