Biodiversity studies of fungi on monocotyledonous plants in the tropics

Abstractpublished_or_final_versionThe Joint Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America and the American Bryological and Lichenological Society, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, 11-16 June 1998, In Inoculum, 1998, v. 49 n. 2, p. 2

Topographic Evolution in the Atomic Scale Growth and Erosion Continuum

This review gives a detailed survey of the range of fascinating surface features which develop under growth or erosion conditions under the combined influence of thermal and more energetic atomic particle fluxes. Collisionally induced atomic ejection and migration, and thermally and radiation induced atom and defect diffusion processes are outlined and their relevance to topographic initiation and evolution explored. A range of experimental observations of surface feature elaboration is discussed from net growth to net erosion conditions and models for their explanation are considered. It is concluded that while much data have been accumulated, much of these have been in so diverse experimental conditions that precise modelling in atomic terms is difficult and generalisations are treacherous. A clear need for structured, extensive studies exists with very precise parameter definition and control

A review of the generic design assessment (GDA) dialogue pilot (2015) for new nuclear build in the UK: lessons for engagement theory and practice.

We have discussed previously that a community led, asset based approach is required to achieve any sense of how social sustainability can be defined in a community setting within the context of energy developments. Our approach aims to initiate a lasting change within ‘energy’ communities through building social capital; focusing on community assets not deficits to define their social priorities. Through deliberation, we develop an understanding of social sustainability so that a community is well placed to enter discussions with government and industry regarding large energy developments that will directly affect them. We review the 2015 Generic Design Assessment (GDA) Public Dialogue Pilot process for potential new nuclear reactors in the UK. We examine the aims of the dialogue, giving particular attention to a comparison between the national sampling of citizens for the GDA and the local community, deliberative approach we have proposed previously. We find an ongoing tension between ‘national’ engagement processes (such as the GDA Public Dialogue Pilot process) and the specific requirements of those energy communities that live adjacent or close to energy infrastructure, manifested here by a conflict between the requirements of the convenor and those of participants regarding priority issues for discussion. We also reveal a paradox; despite participant preference for a remote, internet-based engagement process, they agreed that face to face contact is a priority to encourage trust building between participants and the convenor of the process – a desired outcome of the process. The GDA Public Dialogue Pilot process has demonstrated that stakeholders are willing to engage with and be more directly involved in local energy-related decisions that affect them directly, provided there is opportunity to discuss locally-relevant and site-specific issues in addition to those of a broader nature. There exists a disparity and conflict between ‘national’ engagement processes and the ‘local’ priorities of those energy communities that are adjacent or close to energy infrastructure. In this process and others, we have seen an imbalance between the requirements of the convenor and those of participants regarding priority issues for discussion. This continues to be a persistent challenge for those convening stakeholder engagement events where the scope and context is not primarily site-specific. However, it is encouraging that convenors and participants alike continue to be willing to work towards resolving this

Interferon-γ acts directly on CD8+ T cells to increase their abundance during virus infection

Interferon-γ (IFNγ) is important in regulating the adaptive immune response, and most current evidence suggests that it exerts a negative (proapoptotic) effect on CD8+ T cell responses. We have developed a novel technique of dual adoptive transfer, which allowed us to precisely compare, in normal mice, the in vivo antiviral responses of two T cell populations that differ only in their expression of the IFNγ receptor. We use this technique to show that, contrary to expectations, IFNγ strongly stimulates the development of CD8+ T cell responses during an acute viral infection. The stimulatory effect is abrogated in T cells lacking the IFNγ receptor, indicating that the cytokine acts directly upon CD8+ T cells to increase their abundance during acute viral infection

Uneven development and the logics of international order formation : a critical analysis of recent theories of order formation within the modern western states-system

The thesis provides a critical, comparative analysis of some important, recent theoretical approaches to the study of international relations in terms of their distinctive explanations of the process of order formation characterising the modern western states-system. Drawing upon the critical resources offered by Ashley's typology of different knowledge-constitutive interests orienting different forms of theoretical inquiry, the thesis distinguishes the contrasting conceptions of this modern process of international order formation presented in the work of representative thinkers of the Neo-Realist, Rationalist and Critical theoretical perspectives, noting the different methodological approaches informing these models. At the same time, the thesis provides a critical assessment of these different theories in terms of their relative adequacy as a means for understanding the general nature and significance of this modern process of order formation considered, in broadest terms, as the expression of the uneven development of power between modern states. A central aim of the thesis argument in this context, is to indicate how the elaboration of this critical comparative analysis raises the possibility for the development of a more sophisticated theoretical model - a synthetic perspective which draws upon the valuable insights provided by the Neo-Realist, Rationalist and Critical approaches as the basis for the articulation of a more adequate understanding of the nature and implications of the process of order formation within the modern western international system

Isolation of polymorphic microsatellites in the stemless thistle (Cirsium acaule) and their utility in other Cirsium species

The genus Cirsium includes species with both widespread and restricted geographical distributions, several of which are serious weeds. Nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from the stemless thistle Cirsium acaule. Eight were polymorphic in C. acaule, six in C. arvense and seven in C. heterophyllum. One locus monomorphic in C. acaule showed polymorphism in C. heterophyllum. The mean number of alleles per locus was 4.1 in C. acaule, 6.2 in C. arvense and 2.9 in C. heterophyllum. These nine loci were also amplified in C. eriophorum and C. vulgare, suggesting that these markers may be of use throughout the genus

Population genetics in compressible flows

We study competition between two biological species advected by a compressible velocity field. Individuals are treated as discrete Lagrangian particles that reproduce or die in a density-dependent fashion. In the absence of a velocity field and fitness advantage, number fluctuations lead to a coarsening dynamics typical of the stochastic Fisher equation. We then study three examples of compressible advecting fields: a shell model of turbulence, a sinusoidal velocity field and a linear velocity sink. In all cases, advection leads to a striking drop in the fixation time, as well as a large reduction in the global carrying capacity. Despite localization on convergence zones, one species goes extinct much more rapidly than in well-mixed populations. For a weak harmonic potential, one finds a bimodal distribution of fixation times. The long-lived states in this case are demixed configurations with a single boundary, whose location depends on the fitness advantage.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitte

A critical consideration of the role of mental toughness and pain in the acute pain experiences of athletes

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Routledge via the DOI in this recordThis narrative review investigates the relationship between mental toughness (and mental toughness resources) and pain in athletes. Theorists have postulated that mentally tough athletes possess the ability to push through painful periods of training and competition to achieve high levels of performance. Athletes and coaches attribute the capacity to tolerate and even thrive while experiencing pain to be a potential differentiator to performance outcomes, however, few experimental studies examine the predictive value of mental toughness in the context of pain. There are researchers who have examined the resources of mental toughness that could shed light on how mental toughness influences pain experiences in athletes. Therefore, this review examined the relationship between mental toughness as a global construct and the separate mental toughness resources and pain experiences. We identified resources of mental toughness based on previous research and then considered which of these resources had been studied in the context of pain. Optimism, resilience, self-efficacy, and goal attention were identified as key components of mental toughness that were related to pain experiences. The findings of this review indicate a potential area for performance enhancement in the development of applied coaching practices

NL360+: A Multisource Feedback & Peer-Coaching Pilot Program: Final Evaluation Report

In November 2018, the Office of Professional & Educational Development (OPED), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University received an unrestricted educational grant from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (CPSNL) to design, develop, pilot, and evaluate a Quality Improvement (QI) program for Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) physicians - NL360+: A Multisource Feedback & Peer-Coaching Pilot Program. The purpose of this program was to provide physicians in the province with a voluntary opportunity to participate in, and evaluate, a pilot multisource feedback and peer-coaching experience. The initial timeline for completion of pilot program delivery and evaluation was December 2020. However, the COVID-19 public health emergency caused significant delays in the matching of participants and peer-coaches and subsequently, the coaching sessions. The process continued to move forward and a preliminary evaluation report was submitted to the CPSNL in December 2020. The NL360+ pilot program closed in June 2021