Patterns of space use of colour-marked Whitefronted Geese (Anser alb. albifrons) in Western and Central Europe with respect to social behaviour

Die Blessgans (Anser albifrons albifrons) ist die arktische Gänseart, die am zahlreichsten in Westeuropa überwintert. Von 1998 bis 2002 wurden in einem internationalen Farbmarkierungsprojekt 3.740 Blessgänse mit individuell codierten Halsmanschetten gekennzeichnet, die sich im Feld mit Ferngläsern ode Fernrohren ablesen lassen. Insgesamt wurden 25.000 Beobachtungen registriert. Die Dissertation präsentiert als erste Auswertung dieses noch andauernden Langzeitprojektes 17 Kapitel, die unterschiedliche Aspekte des winterlichen Gänsezuges beleuchten. Ein großer Teil dieser Kapitel ist mittlerweile als Fachaufsätze in verschiedenen Zeitschriften publiziert. Das Zuggeschehen wird auf drei geografischen Ebenen untersucht: auf der kontinentalen Ebene (Zug von den Brut- in die Überwinterungsgebiete), dem überregionalen Niveau (Vernetzung europäischer Rastgebiete) und dem regionalen Niveau (Auswertungen der Rastbestände und Zugbewegungen in Ostfriesland, am Niederrheingebiet und dem Lauwersmeer) mit Nutzung der Rasterkartierung und der Telemetrie

On the Road to Recognition: Irish Travellers’ Quest for Ethnic Identity

This paper explores and defends Irish Travellers’ efforts to push the Republic of Ireland to recognize them as an ethnic minority group under law. Irish Travellers are a small indigenous minority group who have lived primarily in Ireland for centuries. They rank at the bottom of Irish society in rates of poverty, unemployment, life expectancy, infant mortality, health, education levels, political representation and access, and living conditions. Much like the Roma, with whom they share a nomadic tradition, Irish Travellers are in the midst of a movement to improve living conditions, fight widespread discrimination, and gain recognition as an ethnic minority group. Such recognition has important implications for their treatment under international and national law. In this paper, I compare the legal status of Irish Travellers under the laws of the Republic of Ireland with their status in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Then I consider the history of Travellers’ legal status in the Republic’s domestic policies and Travellers’ efforts at recognition through international law documents. Finally, I discuss the challenges and opportunities Irish Travellers’ rights activists face in the continued movement for recognition

Mastery Learning Approach with Formative Assessment Process to Encourage Student Success in Mathematics Classroom

The mastery learning approach in education focuses on frequent check ins throughout learning to provide feedback. This feedback helps inform the teacher of how the students are doing and how to adjust lesson plans and activities. This feedback also informs the students of how they are doing in the class and provides the students with the opportunity to practice and learn from mistakes. This research study is an investigation of how the mastery learning approach in the mathematics classroom encourages students by utilizing frequent formative assessment and feedback. The purpose of this research was to determine whether mastery learning using frequent formative assessment and feedback increases student learning in mathematics. The main research question that the study was focused on was “how does the mastery learning approach with the formative assessment process encourage student success in the mathematics classroom?”. To accomplish the objectives of the research study, a quantitative research design was used. A convenience sample was utilized since the participants are students in the mathematics classroom. The participants of the research study were given a pre-test and a post-test to measure growth in one unit of Algebra 1. Throughout the unit, participants were given feedback on their assignments and were able to correct and resubmit their assignments for points back. At the end of the unit, participants were given a survey to determine how they felt about the mastery learning and formative assessment process throughout the unit

Analysis of turbofan engine performance deterioration and proposed follow-on tests

Data and engine parts on in-service JT3D and JT8D engines were analyzed and documented relative to engine deterioration. It is concluded that the fan-compressor system of these engines contributes to the long term engine deterioration. An engine test and instrumentation plan was formulated for a proposed follow-on program. The goal of this program is to verify the above conclusion and to attempt to identify more precisely which components of the fan-compressor system are at fault

POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: COMPARING SHORT-TERM, INTENSIVE THERAPY TO TRADITIONAL, LONG-TERM THERAPY

ABSTRACT Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health diagnosis that occurs following a traumatic event, and military veterans are at higher risk of exposure to hazardous or life-threatening situations that may result in psychological trauma. PTSD sufferers experience symptoms such as distressing memories, nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and heightened arousal. Individuals with PTSD also experience higher rates of depressive and substance use disorders, involvement with the justice system, and self-harm and suicide. Many agencies, such as the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) provide treatment PTSD, however most programs experience dropout rates as high as 36%. Recent studies have shown that intensive, short-term, evidence-based treatment is both a desired option, and one that exhibits success rates of nearly 92%. What had not yet been documented at the time of this writing was the long-term efficacy of these programs. Through use of online survey distribution and collection and data analysis, the authors were able to preliminarily demonstrate that both treatment modalities demonstrate very similar symptom reduction. This data, coupled with the aforementioned higher completion rate of short-term treatment would indicate that this newer treatment model is the more effective option. The authors also make recommendations to future researchers and describe the potential impact of this research on the social work profession

Dispersal and choice of wintering- and moulting grounds of Mute Swans Cygnus olor ringed as juveniles in Western Lower Saxony

Das Wanderverhalten von Höckerschwänen aus dem nordwestdeutschen Raum war bislang im Gegensatz zu vielen Nachbarländern nur wenig untersucht. Wir stellen daher hier Wanderungsbewegungen juveniler Höckerschwäne im ersten Herbst ihres Lebens sowie zur Überwinterung und Mauser vor der ersten Brutansiedlung dar, wobei überwiegend ein Zeitraum von fünf Jahren betrachtet wird. Im westniedersächsischen Weser-Ems-Raum mit Schwerpunkt an der Unterems wurden zwischen 1998 und 2006 316 nicht flügge Höckerschwäne nahe ihrer Geburtsorte zusätzlich zu den Vogelwartenringen mit farbigen Halsbändern beringt. Daten von 217 dieser Vögel konnten mindestens für den ersten Winter ausgewertet werden. Im ersten Herbst verblieben über 92 % der juvenilen Vögel nahe ihrer Geburtsorte, im ersten Winter noch 62,6 %. Die übrigen wanderten größtenteils küstenparallel nach Südwesten oder Nordosten. Im zweiten Winter zogen die Vögel im Mittel signifikant weiter vom Geburtsort weg, bis zum fünften Winter verringerten sich die Entfernungen wieder signifikant. Für 22 Individuen konnte eine wiederholte Nutzung entfernt gelegener Überwinterungsplätze nachgewiesen werden. Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede sind bei der Wahl der Überwinterungsplätze nicht erkennbar. Vorjährige Höckerschwäne mauserten im Mittel in 125 km und maximal in 311 km Entfernung zum Geburtsort, aber selten nahe dem Geburtsort. Die mittlere Entfernung blieb in den Folgejahren weitgehend konstant. Die Mauserplätze lagen wie die Überwinterungsgebiete überwiegend südwestlich oder nordöstlich der Geburtsorte. Eine Mauserplatztreue über bis zu sechs Jahre wurde ebenso festgestellt wie großräumige Mauserplatzwechsel. Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede sind auch bei der Mauser nicht nachzuweisen. Insgesamt zeigen die tiefer im Binnenland beringten Vögel nach Südosten parallelverschobene Wanderungsbewegungen und geringen Kontakt zu ihren Artgenossen aus den küstennahen Brutpopulationen. Auch eine Mauser im Ostseeraum führt kaum zu einem Individuenaustausch mit dort ebenfalls mausernden Vögeln der Brutpopulationen aus dem niedersächsischen Binnenland und Ostdeutschland.The migration of Mute Swans has not been studied extensively in Northwestern Germany before, in contrast to neighbouring countries. We describe movements of Mute Swans in the first autumn of their lifes as well as their distribution while wingmoulting and wintering before their first settlement as breeders. We mostly consider the first five years in the lifes of the birds. From 1998 to 2006, we marked altogether 316 juvenile Mute Swans with neck collars at their places of birth in Western Lower Saxony. Most markings were carried out in the marshes of the River Ems close to the North Sea Coast. For a total of 217 birds, we are able to describe at least movements in their first winter. In the first autumn, 92% of the juveniles stayed close to their places of birth. In the first winter, still 62.6% stayed there, the other birds moving on parallel to the North Sea Coast, either in southwestern or in northeastern direction. Movements in the second winter were on average significantly farther than in the first winter, whereas from the second to the fifth winter, the mean distances decreased significantly. We did not find any sex-specific differences in choosing wintering places. Second-year birds moulted on average 125 km and in maximum 311 km away form their places of birth; a moult close to the place of birth only occured in few cases. Similar to the wintering grounds, moulting grounds were situated mostly either southwest or northeast of the places of birth, some of them even at the Baltic Sea. Differences between sexes were not found. Single birds used the same moulting ground for up to six successive years, whereas other individuals changed the moulting grounds over large distances. Birds marked farther away from the coast in southern parts of the study area followed migration routes almost parallel to those of the birds born closer to the coast. Birds originating from inland populations did not have many spatial contacts with those from the populations breeding closer to the coast. Although birds born close to the North Sea Coast regularly moult at the Baltic Sea, an exchange with birds from breeding populations of Eastern Germany could not be found

Auswirkungen von Lebensraumzerschneidung auf die Tragkapazität von Gänserastgebieten am Beispiel des Rheiderlandes (Ostfriesland)

Basierend auf zahlreichen Untersuchungen zur Auswirkung von Störungen auf rastende Wildgänse stellen wir die Folgen zunehmender Nutzungsintensivierung und Zerschneidung beispielhaft für das Rheiderland (Niedersachsen) dar. Dazu haben wir mit Hilfe eines Geographischen Informationssystems (GIS) den Verlust an ungestörten Nahrungsflächen für Gänse quantifziert und die Konsequenzen für den Naturschutz dargestellt.Based on numerous studies on disturbance of staging geese we show the impact of increasing fragmentation and disturbance for a study area in the Dollard region. We quantified the loss of undisturbed feeding areas for the geese with a geographic information system (GIS) and discuss the implications for conservation

Impact of the Mental Healthcare Delivery System on California Emergency Departments

Introduction: This is an observational study of emergency departments (ED) in California to identify factors related to the magnitude of ED utilization by patients with mental health needs. Methods: In 2010, an online survey was administered to ED directors in California querying them about factors related to the evaluation, timeliness to appropriate psychiatric treatment, and disposition of patients presenting to EDs with psychiatric complaints

A Map of European Megaliths

As part of a request from the “European Megalithic Routes” organization to its Scientific Advisory Board for a comprehensive map of European megaliths, an attempt was made to produce the corresponding map using existing publications on megalithic tombs. As a result, 17409 published megalithic tombs were mapped. This endeavour forms the basis for a continuous and necessary improvement of a map of European megalithic sites, especially regarding the architectural classification of the individual megaliths