Distal occurrence of mid-Holocene Whakatane Tephra on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, and potential for cryptotephra studies

The Whakatane Tephra, a rhyolitic tephra erupted ca. 5500 cal. BP from Okataina Volcanic Centre, central North Island, has been identified on the Chatham Islands which lie ˜900 km east of Christchurch, New Zealand. The visible tephra layer, ˜5 mm in thickness and preserved within peat on Pitt Island, was identified using both radiocarbon dating and analysis of glass shards by electron microprobe. Whakatane Tephra is the first Holocene tephra to be identified on the Chatham Islands, and it is the most distal Holocene tephra yet recorded in the New Zealand region, being ˜850 km from source. The Pitt Island occurrence extends the tephra's dispersal area markedly, by an order of magnitude, possibly to ˜300,000 km2. An estimated dispersal index (D) of approximately 105 km2 indicates that the eruption generated a very high plinian column, possibly exceeding ˜30 km in height, with strong winds blowing the ash plume southeastwards. This new discovery of distal Whakatane Tephra as a thin but visible layer strongly implies that cryptotephras are likely to be preserved on the Chatham Islands and within adjacent ocean floor sediments. Therefore the potential exists to develop enhanced cryptotephrostratigraphic records from these distal areas, which in turn would help facilitate precise correlation via tephrochronology of palaeoenvironmental records (such as NZ-INTIMATE) from mainland New Zealand, the southwest Pacific Ocean, and the Chatham Islands

Reliability and validity of the running anaerobic sprint test (RAST) in soccer players.

To investigate the validity and relative and absolute reliability of the Running Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) in ama teur soccer players. Cross-sectional experimental design with an element of repeated measures. Twenty three males completed the RAST on two occasions and a Wingate test (WAnT) as criterion measure of anaero bic power. Criterion validity for the RAST was strong for peak power (r = 0.70, p < 0.001) and average power (r = 0.60, p = 0.002); however, the RAST significantly underestimated peak power compared to WAnT. The RAST showed very good relative reli ability for average power, ICC = 0.88 and good relative reliability for peak power, ICC = 0.72. Assessment of absolute reliability highlighted that although when averaged across a group, test and re-test scores will be similar, when monitoring individuals an individual's retest score may range between 0.81 and 1.2 times the original value for peak power and between 0.9 and 1.16 for average power. The RAST is a practicable field test to estimate levels of average anaerobic power. However, the results show that the RAST is not sensitive enough to detect strongly individual changes below 20 % and is therefore not recommended to continually monitor an individual's anaerobic power. Also, if true measures of peak power are required the RAST test is limited

A qualitative study of physical activity drivers in autistic individuals using COM-B:Autistic and non-autistic perspectives

BackgroundDespite evidence of the health benefits of physical activity in non-autistic populations and the additional benefits for autistic populations, physical activity levels remain stubbornly low in autistic individuals. Understanding the determinants of physical activity is essential in order to support intervention development.MethodsThe current research applied the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and Capability Opportunity Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour to identify determinants of physical activity behaviour, mechanisms of action, and potentially efficacious behaviour change techniques. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with autistic adults (N = 4) and children (N = 2), parents of autistic children (N = 4), and stakeholders in autism care and support (N = 5). A deductive approach was taken to map themes onto TDF and COM-B.ResultsParticipants identified three overarching themes: Discordance between autistic and non-autistic perspectives; physically active environments; and autonomy and choice. Eight subthemes were identified and mapped onto COM-B and TDF. Recommendations for intervention development are made and potential behaviour change techniques are identified.ConclusionsGiven the important role of care providers, future research should focus on the attitudes and behaviours of individuals who care for and support autistic individuals to identify barriers and drivers of physical activity promotion, particularly for individuals with high support needs. An argument is made for co-design in future intervention development

Chronic parasitization by Nosema microsporidia causes global expression changes in core nutritional, metabolic and behavioral pathways in honey bee workers (Apis mellifera)

BACKGROUND: Chronic infections can profoundly affect the physiology, behavior, fitness and longevity of individuals, and may alter the organization and demography of social groups. Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae are two microsporidian parasites which chronically infect the digestive tract of honey bees (Apis mellifera). These parasites, in addition to other stressors, have been linked to increased mortality of individual workers and colony losses in this key pollinator species. Physiologically, Nosema infection damages midgut tissue, is energetically expensive and alters expression of immune genes in worker honey bees. Infection also accelerates worker transition from nursing to foraging behavior (termed behavioral maturation). Here, using microarrays, we characterized global gene expression patterns in adult worker honey bee midgut and fat body tissue in response to Nosema infection. RESULTS: Our results indicate that N. apis infection in young workers (1 and 2 days old) disrupts midgut development. At 2 and 7 days post-infection in the fat body tissue, N. apis drives metabolic changes consistent with energetic costs of infection. A final experiment characterizing gene expression in the fat bodies of 14 day old workers parasitized with N. apis and N. ceranae demonstrated that Nosema co-infection specifically alters conserved nutritional, metabolic and hormonal pathways, including the insulin signaling pathway, which is also linked to behavioral maturation in workers. Interestingly, in all experiments, Nosema infection did not appear to significantly regulate overall expression of canonical immune response genes, but infection did alter expression of acute immune response genes identified in a previous study. Comparative analyses suggest that changes in nutritional/metabolic processes precede changes in behavioral maturation and immune processes. CONCLUSIONS: These genome-wide studies of expression patterns can help us disentangle the direct and indirect effects of chronic infection, and understand the molecular pathways that regulate disease symptoms. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-14-799) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Natural Nest-Site Characteristics of Two Small Forest Owls with Implications for Conservation and Management

Natural nest cavities of the Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) and the Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glacidium gnoma) were characterized using several variables measured from 79 nests. Northern Saw-whet Owls appear to prefer larger diameter trees, with larger cavity openings, and deeper cavities compared to the Northern Pygmy-Owls. Pygmy-owls also use a higher proportion of living trees with natural, i.e., not excavated, cavities compared to saw-whet owls. Tree height, nest height, and the number of cavities located on a snag were consistent between the two species. Internal examination of hundreds of cavities within owl territories shows that many cavities which appear appropriate for nesting owls are unusable. Leaving dead or dying trees for cavity nesting species is a common practice for forest managers in the West. However, criteria for “wildlife habitat” trees often adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach; retained cavities are selected based on external assessment alone. The dissimilarity in nest-site selection by these two species, and the fact that cavities show great variability in internal condition, underscore the need for forest managers to select a diverse array of trees for cavity nesting birds in western forests

Subsurface Flow Batteries:Concept, Benefits and Hurdles

Storage of flow-battery electrolytes in aquifers is a novel concept for storing electrical energy in the subsurface. Flow-batteries operate by electrochemical transformations of electrolytes, rather than of electrodes, and their energy capacity can therefore be increased indefinitely by using larger electrolyte tanks. Saline aquifers may be the cheapest way to provide large-scale storage for this purpose. Storage would be within high-porosity, high-permeability reservoirs sealed by impermeable layers but—in contrast to hydrocarbon, H2 or CO2 storage—electrolytes would be trapped in lows (rather than highs) of such formations as a consequence of their high density compared to natural brines.We investigate a range of electrochemical, geochemical, microbiological and engineering hurdles which must be overcome if subsurface flow-batteries are to become a practical technology. No insurmountable problems were found but further laboratory studies are needed. Our economic assessment suggests that subsurface flow batteries should be more cost effective than hydrogen-based power-to-gas approaches for discharge/charge timescales of around a day but that hydrogen will be cheaper for longer-term storage. Hence, meeting future energy-storage needs may involve a combination of both approaches

Active Tephra in Kyushu 2010: International field conference

In May of 2010 the inter-congress meeting of the INQUA International Focus Group on Tephrochronology and Volcanism (INTAV) was held in Kirishima City, Japan. INTAV was formed in 2007 at the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) congress held in Cairns. It replaced SCOTAV (Sub-commission on tephrochronology and volcanism), COT (Commission on tephrochronology), and earlier groups dating back to the 1960s. 76 participants from 11 countries attended the INTAV-J meeting (Figure 1). The venue of the meeting was the Kokobu Civic Centre, which was very generously provided essentially free of charge by the Kirishima City authorities (in return for the delivery of two public lectures, one by David Lowe and the other by tephra/ volcano guru of Japan, Hiroshi Machida, on Sunday 9 May). Participants were treated to a personal welcome by the Mayor of Kirishima City, Shuji Maeda, followed by what appeared to be a very special (and delicious) banquet. However, this spread turned out to be standard lunch and dinner fare provided by the Civic Centre cafeteria and was enjoyed by participants on several occasions during the meeting. Mayor Maeda graciously invited the entire conference group to his personal residence for another spectacular banquet on Monday evening which included the use of dining ‘rooms’ in caves cut into the c. 30 cal. ka Ito ignimbrite. Traditional Kagoshima fare was put on, accompanied by the local alcohol ‘sho-chu’, which is made from fermented sweet potato and is not altogether unlike its Russian cousin vodk

Fluorinated models of the iron-only hydrogenase: An electrochemical study of the influence of an electron-withdrawing bridge on the proton reduction overpotential and catalyst stability

AbstractHere we report the synthesis, electrochemistry and electrocatalytic activity of Fe2(CO)6(μ-SC6F5)2 (1) where the highly fluorinated bridge is electron-withdrawing, resulting in decreased electron-density at the iron–iron bond. Additionally we discuss the related substituted complexes Fe2(CO)5(PPh3)(μ-SC6F5)2 (2) and Fe2(CO)4(μ-Ph2PCH2PPh2)(μ-SC6F5)2 (3). As none of the complexes could be protonated in their neutral form it was found that proton reduction catalysis in the presence of strong acid (HBF4) took place at the potential of the first reduction of complex 1 and 3, following an EC mechanism. Complex 2 was unstable in the presence of strong acid. For 1 the potential at which proton reduction took place represented a relatively mild reduction potential (−1.15V vs. Fc/Fc+ in acetonitrile) that was comparable to examples of similar complexes in the literature. Complex 1 generated a small concentration of a highly catalytic species after electrochemical reduction, which we attribute to cleavage of the Fe–Fe bond and formation of a mono-nuclear iron species or to Fe–S bond breakage generating a vacant coordination site. The contributions to the catalytic currents were simulated using DigiSim, where it was found that the rate limiting step for 3 was the elimination of H2. It was also found that the highly catalytic species generated after reduction of 1 was more basic than 1− and also that protonation of this species was faster

Effects of Relationship Education on Emerging Adults’ Relationship Beliefs and Behaviors [post-print]

In this multisite study, we used a randomized controlled trial to examine how a relationship education intervention affected emerging adults\u27 maladaptive relationship beliefs, mutuality, relationship decision making, relationship quality, and psychological distress. In addition, we explored whether one intervention modality (i.e., facilitated group discussion) was more/less effective than another (i.e., self-facilitated online) and whether there were differential effects for participants in a relationship. We found that the facilitated group evidenced a decline in maladaptive relationship beliefs and an improvement in deliberate decision making. Moreover, facilitated group participants in a relationship reported higher levels of mutuality. Contrary to our hypothesis, there were no changes in relationship quality or psychological distress. Implications for the content and delivery of relationship education for emerging adults are discussed