Ecology of Duck Pond, Wellfleet, Massachusetts with special reference to the vertical distribution of the zooplankton

Originally issued as Reference No. 58-43, series later renamed WHOI- .During the summers of 1956 and 1957 an investigation was made of certain ecological relations involving light in Duck Pond, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, because of the unusually high clarity of the water. The maximum transparency observed (extinction coefficient, k = 0.11) was far greater than most ponds and about equal to that in the slope water beyond the continental shelf off the Atlantic coast. The illumination reaching the bottom of the pond at 18 m was 11% of the surface light and made possible a thick growth of Sphagnum at that depth. Phytoplankton was scarce and consisted mostly of minute forms. The zooplankton, which ranged in abundance up to 78 organisms per liter, consisted almost entirely of one species of copepod, Diaptomus minutus Lillj. Quantitative sampling of this population by means of a pump at a series of depths and at various hours of the day revealed a partial migration of this species from near the bottom to the surface at sunset on one occasion, but no large fraction of the population carried out a vertical migration on 4 other sunset periods or 2 sunrise periods subsequently studied. On certain of these occasions, however, there was a slight but detectib1e movement of the animals toward the surface at sunset followed by a redistribution to deeper levels. At sunrise the animals showed a tendency to move at first toward the surface and then away from it, although on one occasion the population remained quite evenly distributed at all levels. It is pointed out that because of the high transparency those zooplankters living in the pond are able to withstand high illumination at all depths. Relations between the extreme water clarity and the activities of the zooplankton, as well as other unusual features of the pond are discussed.Work supported by funds from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 383

Call to Action: Climate Change is Calling

The sustainability movement found in many popular companies (i.e. Patagonia, Toms Shoes, Rareform) promotes helping the changing climate as part of their marketing strategy. Our research begins to uncover the benefits of these movements that shape student’s thinking towards sustainability. This study aims to evaluate sustainability on the campus of Pepperdine University from the students’ point-of-view after participating in a sustainability project in marketing classes. A convenience non-probability sample of 75 participants engaged in the quantitative Qualtrics online survey. Our results reveal that Pepperdine students who participated in the marketing campaign consider sustainability important, have positive attitudes toward the environment and participate in sustainable behaviors. Grounded in transformative learning theory, we provide a call to action for students at Pepperdine University as a means to engage in the changing sustainability climate

Granny's legacy : did evolution select for grandmothers over an extended fertility window?

1 online resource (iii, 88 pages) : charts, graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 30-35).Why are humans among the very few species in which females have an extended postreproductive lifespan? This question was first posed in 1957 by evolutionary biologist and original theorist of the Grandmother Hypothesis G.C. Williams, based on the widely accepted belief that menopause was uniquely human (Williams., 1957; Kim et al., 2018). Menopause occurs in human females well before the end of their anticipated life span and is classified as the permanent discontinuation of ovulation (Thouzeau & Raymond, 2017). Following the postulates of Darwin, any decrease in reproduction is counteractive to fitness, meaning that menopause essentially has no benefits to survival (Croft et al.,2015). The Grandmother Hypothesis asserts that grandmothers' benefits of caring for and aiding children and grandchildren counterbalance the price of lost reproduction (Cohen 2007). This hypothesis suggests that natural selection favours a prolonged post-reproductive lifespan if it allows individuals to enhance their fitness by aiding their offspring in successful reproduction. This research evaluates the utility of the Grandmother Hypothesis for understanding PRLS in Homo sapiens using historical (1790-1918) parish data from Nova Scotia. Using this data, I will identify whether fecundity and infant mortality rates follow the trends outlined by the Grandmother Hypothesis. Specifically, I will analyze whether there are shorter birth intervals in the mothers where their mother lives in close geographic proximity and if the child survives to reproductive age when their maternal grandmother is present. Although the results did not achieve statistical significance, the trends apparent in the data do follow the proposed trends of the Grandmother Hypothesis

A importância da ergonomia para os profissionais de enfermagem / The importance of ergonomics for nursing professionals

A atividade laboral é essencial na vida do ser humano, e é através dela que o homem irá conseguir o seu sustento e de seus semelhantes, inserindo-se na sociedade e contribuindo para a formação de bens para a sobrevivência da humanidade.  O ofício exercido poderá resultar em agravos a saúde do trabalhador, uma vez que toda atividade está relacionada com um risco ao qual o homem estará submetido. Dentre os riscos ocupacionais, os ergonômicos são aqueles provenientes da relação do homem com o local de trabalho, abrangendo desde os aspectos físicos do ambiente aos psicossociais. Para evitar as doenças relacionadas ao trabalho é necessário adotar medidas preventivas que irão proporcionar qualidade de vida ao trabalhador. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os riscos ergonômicos presentes na rotina dos profissionais de enfermagem e a importância da prevenção para a saúde do enfermeiro. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório realizado através de revisão bibliográfica. Os profissionais de enfermagem estão expostos a diversos riscos ocupacionais, sendo um deles o ergonômico. As longas jornadas de trabalho, os estressores mentais relacionados à sobrecarga na assistência somados as condições de trabalho são fatores desencadeantes de distúrbios psicológicos e fisiológicos que culminam em doenças e acidentes, além da baixa produtividade e desmotivação profissional. As lombalgias, antes associadas com o levantamento de peso, hoje podem estar relacionadas com o estresse no local de trabalho. As jornadas excessivas acarretam em desgastes físicos que podem resultar em doenças crônicas. A qualidade de vida no trabalho está diretamente relacionada com o ambiente e a forma que ele é realizado. Para evitar os agravos a saúde do trabalhador é fundamental a prevenção de riscos ergonômicos. A adoção dessas práticas resultará em maior satisfação e consequentemente salubridade para o profissional de enfermagem.