Dynamic mimicry in an Indo-Malayan octopus

During research dives in Indonesia (Sulawesi and Bali), we filmed a distinctive long-armed octopus, which is new to science. Diving over 24 h periods revealed that the 'mimic octopus' emerges during daylight hours to forage on sand substrates in full view of pelagic fish predators. We observed nine individuals of this species displaying a repertoire of postures and body patterns, several of which are clearly impersonations of venomous animals co-occurring in this habitat. This 'dynamic mimicry' avoids the genetic constraints that may limit the diversity of genetically polymorphic mimics but has the same effect of decreasing the frequency with which predators encounter particular mimics. Additionally, our observations suggest that the octopus makes decisions about the most appropriate form of mimicry to use, allowing it to enhance further the benefits of mimicking toxic models by employing mimicry according to the nature of perceived threats

The Medvedev years : an examination of the external forces & internal dynamics affecting the Kremlin's foreign policy decisions

The central question of this thesis is what forces and personal dynamics ultimately shape the Kremlin’s responses to foreign policy issues. The legacies of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin are traced from the Soviet democratization during the 1980’s and the constitutional empowerment of the Russian presidency during the 1990’s. These two coexistent forces of empowering the average citizen in a country in which the President is the most powerful authority in decision-making are examined.The forces of the Kremlin affect the current inner circle of Siloviki, Technocrats, and Yeltsin Liberals who are integral members of the policy formulation. Vladimir Putin and his handpicked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, were now at the helm of a government with these three groups of bureaucrats from 2008 to 2012. The Medvedev presidency was confronted with challenges in the post-Soviet space, which included Georgian military operations against Russia and an anti-Russian leader in Kyrgyzstan. In addition to this, the Kremlin was faced with the decisions to enforce sanctions against rogue regimes pursuing nuclear capability, specifically Iran and North Korea. The Arab Spring of 2011 brought with it momentous change in the Middle East and the Russian Federation was forced to decide whether to consent to sanctions against the Khadafy regime in Libya and the Assad regime in Syria.The six foreign policy decisions in this thesis illuminate the Kremlin’s internal dynamics as well as the handling of the external political forces enacted by Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. Graham Allison’s Governmental Politics Model, which analyzes foreign policy from a personal perspective of the chief decision-makers, is used throughout this body of doctoral research

Parliament and society in Scotland, 1560-1603.

In 2 volsAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D77945 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Entrepreneurship In Multinational Corporations: The Initiative Process In Foreign Subsidiaries

This is an empirical study of initiatives in the subsidiaries of multinational corporations. An initiative is the subsidiary-driven creation of a value-adding activity. While previous research has focused on the world product mandates earned as a result of initiatives, or the corporate systems that facilitate subsidiary initiatives, this study is concerned with the internal processes that actively drive subsidiary initiatives. This issue is of vital importance to subsidiary managers who are looking for ways to enhance their value-added role in the corporation: it also has substantial implications for corporate strategy and for theoretical models of multinational management and entrepreneurship.;Two research questions drove this research: What forms do subsidiary initiatives take? and What is the initiative process? The research was undertaken using an inductive approach, building knowledge from an iterative combination of empirical evidence and theory. A total of 39 initiatives from six Canadian subsidiaries of U.S. multinational corporations formed the final sample. Data was gathered through over 100 personal interviews, but also from two questionnaires and archival and secondary sources.;There were two key findings. First, four distinct types of subsidiary initiatives were identified, labelled reconfiguration , local market , competitive bid and mandate extension . These four types were empirically validated, and conceptualized in terms of the market opportunities they tapped into. Second, the initiative process was analyzed in depth, and found to consist of four phases representing the increasing viability of the initiative. The process was found to be strongly influenced by the organizational context of the subsidiary, as predicted by Burgelman\u27s model of corporate venturing. The key contribution, however, is the observation that the internally-defined subsidiary context is a more critical driver of initiative than the externally-defined corporate context.;The implication for the management of multinational subsidiaries is that the assignment of subsidiary roles has limitations, because it assumes the opportunity set of the subsidiary can be prejudged and better understood from the centre than the periphery. Subsidiaries should have sufficient slack that opportunities can be identified and developed; and they should attempt to build an internal management context to foster the entrepreneurial spirit. Theoretical and managerial implications are developed around these core insights

The Distribution and Relative Abundance of Aquatic Oligochaeta in the Upper Cache River System, Southern Illinois, in Relation to Water Quality

Species composition, distribution, abundance, and water quality relationships of aquatic oligochaetes occurring in the upper Cache River system, southern Illinois were investigated. Forty-two taxa of oligochaetes including 16 naidids, 22 tubificids and representatives of the families Aeolosomatidae, Branchiobdellidae, Enchytraeidae, and Lumbriculidae were collected. Four species of oligochaetes new to Illinois, Limnodrilus psammophilus Loden, L. rubripenis Loden, Psammoryctides (Spencerius) californianus Brinkhurst, and Haemonais waldvogeli Bretscher were collected during this study. Another species of Limnodrilus new to science is reported here, as yet undescribed. The thesis that aquatic oligochaetes can be used as true water quality indicator organisms is rejected. It is suggested that the relative abundance and species composition of the total invertebrate fauna be used in conjunction with monitored water quality parameters to identify trends in the physical, chemical, and biological communities

Distributed cognition and computer supported collaborative design: The organisation of work in construction engineering

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The intellectual contribution of this thesis lies within the area of computer supported co-operative work (CSCW), and more specifically, computer supported co-operative design (CSCD). CSCW is concerned with the development of information systems and technological support for multi-participant work activities. Research into CSCW seeks to understand how people and organisations interact with one another, and to integrate this understanding with the development of computer based tools to support real world settings. Much of the technology developed to support the work of designers has been developed to aid individuals working alone, with tools like computer aided drafting (CAD), scheduling, and database software. The growth of interest in ‘groupware’ has led many technology developers to adapt these design tools for use in group situations. However, joint activities are different from those performed alone, and organisational structures can both interfere with, and supplement co-operative work practices in a way that the current technologies cannot provide support for. To develop effective group design tools, we need to understand more about collaborative processes in design. This thesis draws from the theoretical underpinning of cognitive science and the methods of anthropology and sociology, in an interdisciplinary study of design performance in the construction industry. Fieldwork is used as a method of qualitative data collection and this is examined within the analytic framework of distributed cognition. The results of this analysis provide a useful and usable description of the work of design that technology developers can use to support collaborative design work. In line with the methods of distributed cognition, the activities observed in the workplace studies are examined in terms of their processes and representations. The resources that were available to the design participants are made explicit, as are their situation-specific work patterns. Two case studies of design are examined. The first of these describes design work in a civil engineering project, which involves a number of different design activities. The second describes the work of consulting engineers in building design, focusing on a more limited design role, which is used to back up and supplement areas of the first study that were understood to be particularly relevant. The findings of the study demonstrate how design processes operate simultaneously at personal, organisational and inter-organisational levels. The distinction between the formal, organisational procedures, and the informal, social processes that compliment them is examined to show how these are interrelated in the performance of the design task and their importance to the mechanisms used to co-ordinate actions. The findings of the study have implications for the development of novel technologies to augment the engineering design process, and have already been used in the development of assistive design technologies. The thesis demonstrates that the framework of distributed cognition can be used in the analysis of cognition within a setting, involving multiple individuals, in concert with 'natural' and 'artificial' artefacts. The thesis makes clear a number of processes in design that can only be examined from a perspective which includes the social dimensions of work. The methods of study focus on the resources in collaborative activities, whilst the analysis, structured in terms of the representations and processes of collaborative activity, shows that the method can be used effectively in the development of CSCW and CSCD technologies

Ritual, Pastoral Presence, and Character Virtues in Healthcare Chaplaincy: A study of chaplains’ support to bereaved parents following the in utero or neonatal death of their baby.

This thesis sets out to understand better how chaplains can support bereaved parents following the death of their baby. Running parallel to this, with increasing demand for evidence-based practice, it aims to evidence the benefit of chaplaincy support and the unique skills of chaplains. The thesis is based on twelve semi-structured interviews with sixteen parents. These were analysed using a form of grounded theory and compared with the findings of related research. I argue that the root of all other spiritual need is the loss of control parents experienced. Alongside this theme I identify a loss of meaning, a loss of self worth, and a desire to do something in response to their loss. Although there is not a one size fits all response, the liturgy and ritual provided by chaplains helped counter spiritual distress. I propose that, alongside the ability to perform liturgy and ritual, chaplains are viewed as having authority in both religious and spiritual matters. As liturgy and ritual was appreciated in conjunction with the presence of the chaplain, I explore a virtue-based approach to chaplaincy and recommend the increased use of shadowing and mentoring. Drawing on Fowler’s Stages of Faith, I describe how some parents found greater religious faith or increased spiritual awareness as a result of their experience. I speculate that, in order to provide the best possible support to parents, chaplains need to exhibit the characteristics of Fowler’s stage 5. Chaplains have a richness of reflection and experience and I appeal to churches to engage more profoundly with them. I also recommend the continued employment of chaplains within hospitals and argue for the narrative voice to be valued in research. Contra to current NICE guidelines, I contend that parents should be offered the opportunity to see and hold their dead baby

Mediaptating the ‘civic imperative’

Engaging young people is a perennial theme of UK elections, updated for the social media age but carrying long-standing assumptions. How ‘youth voice’ is articulated in specific practices, and on whose terms, is complex, especially in the ‘micropolitical’ social media age, but there is little space or time for this in either party campaigning or ‘old media’ analysis