Space use and habitat affinities of the singing vole on the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, Alaska

Arctic tundra is being affected by a rapidly warming climate, which is accompanied by shifts in plant community composition and structure. Shrub expansion, a predominant consequence of this warming, is linked with changes in nutrient cycling and has direct implications to global change biology. Habitats are being altered across the landscape, with subsequent changes to arctic faunal communities. While herbivory has been noted as important in contributing to plant community composition in the arctic, with the potential to both exacerbate and mitigate shifts toward shrub-dominated tundra landscapes, little research has been conducted on herbivore dynamics. Microtine rodents (i.e., voles and lemmings) are the dominant vertebrate herbivores in the Alaskan Arctic. Through mark-recapture surveys and analysis of individual and population-level space use, I studied the population ecology of the microtine community to better establish the role of these small mammals in this rapidly changing region. Co-dominant species, the singing vole and the tundra vole, exhibit limited ecological overlap, preferring different habitat types and food sources. Results from surveys confirmed previously documented spatial segregation of the two co-dominant species by habitat along a moisture gradient. Interpretation of results suggest that extrinsic factors, possibly relating to stochastic winter climatic events impact these co-dominant species differently. Over the duration of the study, the singing vole was locally more abundant despite preferring regionally less available habitat, which suggests that its habitat may buffer singing vole populations from the affects of stochastic events. Analysis of space use by the singing vole indicated that both intraspecific interaction and microhabitat affinities played a role in local scale space use, which, through selective herbivory and concentrated deposition of nutrients, has implications on its role in structuring tundra plant communities. Further research on these species over a longer duration will classify the impact of extrinsic factors on population dynamics and the impact of resource use on local and landscape level changes to the tundra ecosystem

Talking about learning disability: promoting positive perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities in Scottish schools

Pupils with intellectual disabilities are one of the most bullied groups in the school system and in local communities. Moreover, young people also play a significant role in hate crimes against people with intellectual disabilities of all ages beyond the school gates. This paper describes the development of a research informed program of lessons for children in mainstream secondary schools, aimed at counteracting bullying towards people with intellectual disabilities by promoting empathy and more positive attitudes towards them. A literature review, a review of current practice, and the experiences and views of young people with intellectual disabilities and their families all contributed to the development of the program. Data from subsequent piloting and feasibility work were used to finalize the program which consists of the following five lessons concerning: (i) difference and disability, (ii) an understanding of intellectual disability, (iii) the nature and impact of disablist bullying towards people with intellectual disabilities, and (iv) opportunities for inclusion. One conclusion from this work is that that there needs to be further research to explore the impact of school-based interventions, promoting an understanding of people with intellectual disabilities, in the wider community. Teachers delivering the lessons may have greater influence than transitory campaigns to counteract bullying and promote positive attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities. However, a first step is to ensure that teachers delivering the lessons have an understanding of people with intellectual disabilities

Irish Diaspora Politics: The West Riding of Yorkshire, 1879-1886

This article seeks to explore the Irish migrants’ political experience within the geographical confines of the West Riding of Yorkshire during several key election campaigns during the period 1879-86. The focus will be on the constitutional, or moral force, philosophy of Irish nationalism in its diasporic/external context. The central aim is to explore how Irish migrants engaged in political activism in the pursuit of legislative independence for the homeland under the banner of Irish Home Rule. Attention will focus on specific parliamentary election contests where Irish Home Rule became the dominant platform. This will be achieved through an analysis of the Home Rule Confederation & Irish National Leagues of Great Britain and its activities as a political “fifth column” operating in the industrial heartlands of Yorkshire

Hydrodynamics, control and numerical modelling of absorbing wavemakers

This research investigates the effects that geometry and control have on the absorption characteristics of active wavemakers and looks at the feasibility of modelling these wavemakers in commercial computational fluid dynamic software. This thesis presents the hydrodynamic coefficients for four different types of wavemakers. The absorption characteristics of these wavemakers are analysed using different combinations of control impedance coefficients. The effect of combining both geometry and control is then investigated. Results, quantifying the absorption characteristics are then presented. It is shown that the amount of absorption for a given paddle differs greatly depending on the choice of control coefficients used to implement complex conjugate control. Increased absorption can be achieved over a broader bandwidth of frequencies when the geometry of the wavemaker is optimised for one specific frequency and the control impedance is optimised for an alternate frequency. In conjunction to this theoretical study, a numerical investigation is conducted in order to verify and validate two commercial computational fluid dynamic codes' suitability to model the previously discussed absorbing wavemakers. ANSYS CFX and FLOW3D are used to model a physical wavemaker. Both are rigorously verified for discretisation errors and CFX is validated against linear wavemaker theory. Results show good agreement and prediction of the free surface close to the oscillating wavemaker, but problems with wave height attenuation and excessive run times were encountered

Islamist Violent Extremism: A New Form of Conflict or Business as Usual?

Islamist violent extremist (IVE) groups are frequently involved in civil conflicts. Indeed, some groups owe their origins to conflict, and tens of thousands of Islamists have chosen to participate in conflicts taking place in foreign countries in the past 35 years. Increasingly, IVE groups appear to have the capacity to influence the conflicts they are involved in, and are influenced in turn by their experiences. As a result, for those working on conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction, the involvement of IVE groups raises questions of whether traditional responses remain adequate. Drawing on three country case studies – Nigeria, Kenya and Iraq/Syria, this article examines the similarities and differences between IVE groups and other conflict actors, and what this means for development, state-building and peacebuilding responses

Which anthropometric and lower body power variables are predictive of professional and amateur playing status in male rugby union players?

The purpose of this study was to compare anthropometric and lower body power measurements between current professional and amateur male rugby union players. The present study also sought to determine which anthropometric and physical performance variables were predictive of playing standard. Thirty professional and 30 amateur RU players performed Wattbike 6 s maximal effort (WB6S) and countermovement (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) assessments, anthropometric measures were also taken. Dependant variables recorded and analysed including: body mass, stature, Σ8 site skinfolds, WB6S absolute and relative peak power, CMJ and SJ average concentric force, jump height, peak velocity, time to peak force, rate of force development (RFD) and absolute and relative peak force and power. Professional players were heavier, taller and leaner than their amateur counterparts (p < 0.05). Professional players performed significantly better in all physical performance measures except CMJ and SJ time to peak force, CMJ RFD and SJ relative peak force. Variables which were predictive of playing standard were: Σ8 skinfolds, CMJ peak velocity and WB6S absolute and relative peak power (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that the current body of male professional RU players is anthropometrically and physically superior to their amateur counterparts, although not all variables assessed here were predictive of playing standard. Data presented here indicate that Σ8 skinfolds, WB6S absolute and relative power and CMJ peak velocity are predictive of playing standard, whereas other anthropometric and strength and power variables are not

Scenario analysis as a tool for informing the design of behaviour change interventions

This article presents the design process behind the specification of a behaviour change intervention method to promote energy saving. The amount of energy used for food preparation is highly influenced by people’s behaviours. A user-centred design approach based on scenario analysis was applied to provide understanding of context of use and specification of user requirements. This knowledge was applied to the design of behaviour change interventions to motivate sustainable behaviours

Building an intelligent tutoring system for procedural domains

Jobs that require complex skills that are too expensive or dangerous to develop often use simulators in training. The strength of a simulator is its ability to mimic the 'real world', allowing students to explore and experiment. A good simulation helps the student develop a 'mental model' of the real world. The closer the simulation is to 'real life', the less difficulties there are transferring skills and mental models developed on the simulator to the real job. As graphics workstations increase in power and become more affordable they become attractive candidates for developing computer-based simulations for use in training. Computer based simulations can make training more interesting and accessible to the student

A review of behavioural research on data security

Protection of confidential information or data from being leaked to the public is a growing concern among organisations and individuals. This paper presents the results of the search for literature on behavioural and security aspects of data protection. The topics covered by this review include a summary of the changes brought about by the EU GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). It covers human and behavioural aspects of data protection, security and data breach or loss (threats), IT architectures to protect data (prevention), managing data breaches (mitigation), risk assessment and data protection audits. A distinction is made between threats and prevention from within an organisation and from the outside