Ecology of Iowa Drosophila II. Lowland Forest and Sand Prairie

The seasonal abundances of Drosophila species collected from a lowland forest community and from a sand prairie community in northeastern Iowa are compared. With some important exceptions, the patterns seen in the lowland forest community were similar to what had been observed in a previous collection (Jennings et al. 1985). Fewer species and many fewer individuals were collected from the sand prairie community, although in general the patterns seen were similar to those of the lowland forest community. Strong evidence of microhabitat differentiation was seen in both communities. In contrast to our previous study, none of the seasonal abundance patterns were significantly correlated with temperature

The Role of Ethics in Regulatory Discourse: Can Market Failure Justify the Regulation of Casino Gaming?

I. Introduction II. Public Policy and Casino Gaming III. Market Failure: Why Does It Prompt Regulation? IV. Common Arguments Used in Support of the Regulation of Gaming ... A. Populations Affected: The Addict and the Family; Populations at Risk: Teens and the Elderly ... B. Increased Crime Rates ... C. Economic Hazards of Casino Gaming ... D. Environmental Costs of Casinos: Concern for the Environment ... E. Political Contributions and Lobbying on Behalf of the Gambling Industry V. Arguments Offered by Proponents of a Market Approach to Gaming VI. Why Aren\u27t We Arguing for the Similar Regulation of Shopping? ... A. Social Benefits of Gambling and Shopping: The Promise of Economic Prosperity ... B. Social Ills of Gambling and and Shopping: Benefits Have Their Price VII. Conclusion ... A. Ethical Dimensions of Casino Gamin

Strategy and its discontents: the place of strategy in national policymaking

This paper presents a collection of views about the definition, role, purpose and health of strategic policymaking. Introduction One of the liveliest debates to have taken place on ASPI’s blog, The Strategist, concerned the place of strategy in Canberra’s policymaking community. It seems that there’s little consensus around what strategy’s core business should be, let alone who should practice it and whether indeed enough strategy is being done by DFAT, Defence or other parts of government. The 11 short pieces printed here by eight authors with quite diverse perspectives span a broad range of views about the definition, role, purpose and health of strategic policymaking. There’s no more important debate in public policy than on the place of strategy in meeting complex national challenges. This paper hopefully will encourage a more structured debate about strategy’s place at the heart of national policymaking

Origin and dynamic significance of longitudinal structures (“flow stripes”) in the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Longitudinal ice-surface structures in the Antarctic Ice Sheet can be traced continuously down-ice for distances of up to 1200 km. A map of the distribution of ~ 3600 of these features, compiled from satellite images, shows that they mirror the location of fast-flowing glaciers and ice streams that are dominated by basal sliding rates above tens of metres per annum and are strongly guided by subglacial topography. Longitudinal ice-surface structures dominate regions of converging flow, where ice flow is subject to non-coaxial strain and simple shear. They can be traced continuously through crevasse fields and through blue-ice areas, indicating that they represent the surface manifestation of a three-dimensional structure, interpreted as foliation. Flow lines are linear and undeformed for all major flow units described here in the Antarctic Ice Sheet except for the Kamb Ice Stream and the Institute and Möller Ice Stream areas, where areas of flow perturbation are evident. Parcels of ice along individual flow paths on the Lambert Glacier, Recovery Glacier, Byrd Glacier and Pine Island Glacier may reside in the glacier system for ~ 2500 to 18 500 years. Although it is unclear how long it takes for these features to form and decay, we infer that the major ice-flow configuration of the ice sheet may have remained largely unchanged for the last few hundred years, and possibly even longer. This conclusion has implications for our understanding of the long-term landscape evolution of Antarctica, including large-scale patterns of glacial erosion and deposition

Structural glaciology of Austre Brøggerbreen, northwest Svalbard

<p>Structural glaciological maps can be used to study the structural evolution and past dynamics of glaciers. The map described here documents the glacier-wide structural characteristics of Austre Brøggerbreen, a <i>c</i>. 12 km² predominantly cold-based valley glacier in northwest Svalbard. The structural map reveals that the glacier is dominated by deep-penetrating fractures that are now relict (crevasse traces). These structures indicate that, despite being relatively inactive at present, the glacier was once much more dynamic, presumably during its last advance in the Neoglacial (<i>c</i>. 1900 AD). Contemporary glacier structures (i.e. those that are actively forming) include primary stratification, longitudinal foliation and rare surface fracturing (crevasses and water-healed crevasses). Relict fracture sets become increasingly re-orientated and folded down-glacier as a result of ductile flow. Individual flow units show large differences in the evolution of structures, indicating that the flow units have been subject to different flow histories and dynamics. The map will also be useful for future change-detection studies on this rapidly receding glacier.</p

Ecology of Iowa Drosophila I. Lowland Forest

We have studied the seasonal abundances of Drosophila species collected from a lowland forest community in northeastern Iowa. Eleven species were collected of which six were collected in appreciable numbers (over 20 individuals). One species, D. affinis, is dominant until early summer when it virtually disappears and a second species, D. tripunctata, becomes dominant. Two other species, D. falleni and D. robusta, also are very common early in the year and collected much less frequently later. It is hypothesized that temperature is a critical factor in determining these seasonal patterns

Perception of soundscapes : an interdisciplinary approach

This paper takes an overall view of findings from the Positive Soundscape Project, a large inter-disciplinary soundscapes study. Qualitative fieldwork (soundwalks and focus groups) have found that soundscape perception is influenced by cognitive effects such as the meaning of a soundscape and its components, and how information is conveyed by a soundscape, for example on the behaviour of people within the soundscape. Three significant clusters were found in the language people use to describe soundscapes: sound sources, sound descriptors and soundscape descriptors. Results from listening tests and soundwalks have been integrated to show that the two principal dimensions of soundscape emotional response seem to be calmness and vibrancy. Further, vibrancy seems to have two aspects: organisation of sounds and changes over time. The possible application of the results to soundscape assessment and design are briefly discussed

Colostrum provision and care of calves among smallholder farmers in the Kaziranga region of Assam, India.

Smallholder cattle farming in Assamese villages is sub-optimal in terms of calf survivability, growth, age at first service, and milk yield. Proper understanding of the local situation is essential to formulate appropriate, locally driven, livestock keeper education to sustainably improve animal health, welfare and productivity. In-depth interviewing and direct observation were used to understand the farming strategies, husbandry practices and challenges to health and productivity in a cluster of typical villages in the Kaziranga region of Assam, India, where resource use is balanced between the needs of humans and livestock, with competition from wild species. Knowledge of the importance of colostrum consumption by calves is poor. Timely consumption of sufficient colostrum (locally called "phehu") by calves was clearly sub-optimal in the majority of households. The reasons behind this are nuanced, but the practice of collecting colostrum from newly calved cows to make confectionery for human consumption is an important contributory factor. Care of the umbilicus of the newborn is not routine practice in the locality. Local women are the key group assisting with young and sick animals, including cases of simple dystocia and retained foetal membranes. Cows are usually milked once daily, to attempt to balance the needs for milk of household with those of the calf, which can result in suboptimal nutrition for calves. There are clear opportunities to improve animal health and productivity through locally provided farmer education, particularly with reference to colostrum provision, and the engagement of women farmers in any such programme is key to success

Geomorphology of Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctica

This study presents a 1:25,000 geomorphological map of the northern sector of Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula. The map covers an area of c. 250 km2, and documents the landforms and surficial sediments of one of the largest ice-free areas in Antarctica, based on remote sensing and field-based mapping. The large-scale landscape features are determined by the underlying Cretaceous sedimentary and Neogene volcanic geology, which has been sculpted by overlying ice masses during glacial periods. Paraglacial and periglacial features are superimposed upon remnant glacial features, reflecting the post-glacial evolution of the landscape. The study area can be broadly separated into three geomorphological sectors, according to the dominant contemporary Earth-surface processes; specifically, a glacierised southern sector, a paraglacial-dominated eastern sector, and a periglacial-dominated central/northern sector. This map provides a basis for further interdisciplinary research, and insight into the potential future landscape evolution of other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula as the climate warms