Less government intervention in biodiversity management: risks and opportunities

n a changing global environment, with increasing pressure on ecosystem goods and services, biodiversity conservation is likely to become increasingly important. However, with the current global financial crisis, governments are increasingly trying to stabilise economies through spending cuts aiming to reduce national deficits. Within such an economic climate, the devolution of governance through public participation is an intrinsically appealing concept. We outline a number of challenges that explain why increased participation in biodiversity management has been and may continue to be problematic. Using as a case study the local stakeholder-driven Moray Firth Seal Management Plan in Scotland, we identify four key conditions that were crucial to the successful participatory management of a biodiversity conflict: a local champion, the emergence of a crisis point, the involvement of decision-makers, and long-term financial and institutional support. Three of the four conditions point to the role of direct government involvement, highlighting the risk of devolving responsibility for biodiversity conflict management to local communities. We argue that without an informed debate, the move towards a more participatory approach could pose a danger to hard-won policy gains in relation to public participation, biodiversity conservation and conflict management

Modelling ice-ocean interactions in and around ice shelves

Physical processes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are of great importance to the global climate system. This thesis considers two such processes, namely ice-ocean interaction in ice shelf basal crevasses and the conditional instability of frazil ice growth. It has been suggested that freezing within basal crevasses can act as a stabilising influence on ice shelves, preventing their break up. Using Fluidity, a finite element ocean model, it is found that ocean circulation within a crevasse is highly dependent upon the amount of freezing in the crevasse. It is also found that frazil ice formation is responsible for the vast majority of freezing within a crevasse, and that there is a non linear relationship between the amount of supercooling in a crevasse and its freeze rate. The conditional instability of frazil ice growth is a little investigated mechanism of ice growth. Any frazil forming in the water column reduces the bulk density of a parcel of frazil-seawater mixture, causing it to rise. Due to the pressure-decrease in the freezing point, this causes more frazil to form, causing the parcel to accelerate, and so on. Numerical modelling finds that the instability does not operate in the presence of strong stratification, high thermal driving (warm water), a small initial perturbation, high `background' mixing or the prevalence of large frazil ice crystals. Given a large enough initial perturbation this instability could allow significant rates of ice growth even in water that is above the freezing point. The research presented in this thesis forms the material for two peer-reviewed publications; `Modelling ice ocean interactions in ice shelf basal crevasses' (Jordan et al., 2014) and `On the conditional frazil ice instability in seawater' (Jordan et al., 2015

Brand management in top-tier college athletics: Examining and explaining mark-usage policies

The practice of an interscholastic athletic department reproducing the logo of a collegiate team for its own use is becoming increasingly visible. Qualitative questionnaire responses from collegiate brand managers suggest that licensing departments differ in their perceptions of the outcomes associated with allowing logo replication in high school athletic departments. Perceived consequences of two enforcement strategies—prohibitive and cooperative—are highlighted, as are implications and directions for future research

On the conditional frazil ice instability in seawater

It has been suggested that the presence of frazil ice can lead to a conditional instability in seawater. Any frazil forming in the water column reduces the bulk density of a parcel of frazil-seawater mixture, causing it to rise. Due to the pressure-decrease in the freezing point, this causes more frazil to form, causing the parcel to accelerate, and so on. We use linear stability analysis and a non-hydrostatic ocean model to study this instability. We find that frazil ice growth caused by the rising of supercooled water is indeed able to generate a buoyancy-driven instability. Even in a gravitationally stable water column, the frazil ice mechanism can still generate convection. The instability does not operate in the presence of strong density stratification, high thermal driving (warm water), a small initial perturbation, high background mixing or the prevalence of large frazil ice crystals. In an unstable water column the instability is not necessarily expressed in frazil ice at all times; an initial frazil perturbation may melt and refreeze. Given a large enough initial perturbation this instability can allow significant ice growth. A model shows frazil ice growth in an Ice Shelf Water plume several kilometres from an ice shelf, under similar conditions to observations of frazil ice growth under sea ice. The presence of this instability could be a factor affecting the growth of sea ice near ice shelves, with implications for Antarctic bottom water formation

Identity Implications of Relationship (Re)Definition Goals: An Analysis of Face Threats and Facework as Young Adults Initiate, Intensify, and Disengage from Romantic Relationships

DOI: 10.1177/0261927X08325746Identity implications theory (IIT) is applied to analyze how young adults manage identity concerns associated with the goals of initiating, intensifying, and disengaging from romantic relationships. Participants wrote their responses to one of six hypothetical romantic (re)definition scenarios, indicated whether they actually would pursue the relational goal if their scenario were real, and rated degree of threat to both parties' face. Responses were coded for positive and negative politeness strategies. Participants in different relational goal conditions perceived different face threats, varied in their likelihood of pursuing the relational goal, and employed different politeness strategies. Relationship (re)definition goal also moderated associations between perceived face threats and goal pursuit as well as politeness strategies. The findings show how multiple goal theories such as IIT can be applied to situations where relational goals are primary as well as how, to varying degrees, identity concerns shape and constrain how young adults pursue relational (re)definition goals

Analysis of the role of Ser1/Ser2/Thr9 phosphorylation on myosin II assembly and function in live cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Phosphorylation of non-muscle myosin II regulatory light chain (RLC) at Thr18/Ser19 is well established as a key regulatory event that controls myosin II assembly and activation, both in vitro and in living cells. RLC can also be phosphorylated at Ser1/Ser2/Thr9 by protein kinase C (PKC). Biophysical studies show that phosphorylation at these sites leads to an increase in the Km of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) for RLC, thereby indirectly inhibiting myosin II activity. Despite unequivocal evidence that PKC phosphorylation at Ser1/Ser2/Thr9 can regulate myosin II function in vitro, there is little evidence that this mechanism regulates myosin II function in live cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The purpose of these studies was to investigate the role of Ser1/Ser2/Thr9 phosphorylation in live cells. To do this we utilized phospho-specific antibodies and created GFP-tagged RLC reporters with phosphomimetic aspartic acid substitutions or unphosphorylatable alanine substitutions at the putative inhibitory sites or the previously characterized activation sites. Cell lines stably expressing the RLC-GFP constructs were assayed for myosin recruitment during cell division, the ability to complete cell division, and myosin assembly levels under resting or spreading conditions. Our data shows that manipulation of the activation sites (Thr18/Ser19) significantly alters myosin II function in a number of these assays while manipulation of the putative inhibitory sites (Ser1/Ser2/Thr9) does not.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These studies suggest that inhibitory phosphorylation of RLC is not a substantial regulatory mechanism, although we cannot rule out its role in other cellular processes or perhaps other types of cells or tissues in vivo.</p

Absolute Present, Zen and Schrödinger’s One Mind

Erwin Schrödinger holds a prominent place in the history of science primarily due to his crucial role in the development of quantum physics. What is perhaps lesser known are his insights into subject-object duality, consciousness and mind. He documented himself that these were influenced by the Upanishads, a collection of ancient Hindu spiritual texts. Central to his thoughts in this area is that Mind is only One and there is no separation between subject and object. This chapter aims to bridge Schrödinger’s view on One Mind with the teachings of Dōgen, a twelfth century Zen master. This bridge is formed by addressing the question of how time relates to One Mind, and subject-object duality. Schrödinger describes the experience of One Mind to be like a timeless now, whereas subject-object duality involves a linear continuum of time. We show how these differing positions are unified in the notion of ‘absolute present’, which was put forward in the philosophy of Nishida Kitarō (1871–1945). In addition, we argue that it is in this notion of absolute present that the views of Schrödinger, Dōgen and Nishida meet