Relevant Restaurant Interests to Partnering with Non-Profit Organizations

Mealshare is a newly formed non-profit organization that partners with restaurants to feed persons in need. We conducted exploratory and quantitative research on Edmonton and area restaurants to identify those restaurant interests leading to partnerships with non-profit organizations. By performing in-depth interviews with restaurant owners and managers within Edmonton, we discovered main themes such as marketing benefits of social responsibility, preferences for charities to donate to, concerns about charity work, and influences on choosing social responsibility efforts. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to restaurant owners and managers, from which we derived tentative conclusions and recommendations to enhance the Mealshare brand and identify future opportunities. Based on the findings, we find that Mealshare should focus on configuring their marketing activities to emphasize community involvement, time constraint management, and marketing benefits, as well as tailor themselves for independently owned restaurants

Is patch use determined by fine-scale microhabitat differences or density dependent habitat selection?

If individuals base their patch and habitat choices on fine-scale differences in microhabitat, then their use o f patches, defined by capture sites, should correspond with measures o f microhabitat. But if individuals assess and respond to habitat at larger spatial scales, then site use should correspond with habitat selection at those scales. I tested these predictions by monitoring the distribution of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) in 0.25ha old-field enclosures in northern Ontario, Canada (the Lakehead University Habitron). I varied the population density in two pairs of adjacent enclosures and tested for habitat selection with habitat isodars. Three of four isodars were statistically significant, but even so, meadow voles were vague density-dependent habitat selectors. The use of capture sites was related to microhabitat only in the one case where isodars failed to detect density-dependent habitat selection. Otherwise, site use was related to the number of animals living in paired enclosures. Site use by meadow voles was determined primarily by density-dependent habitat selection

Evaluating airborne and ground based gamma spectrometry methods for detecting particulate radioactivity in the environment: a case study of Irish Sea beaches

In several places, programmes are in place to locate and recover radioactive particles that have the potential to cause detrimental health effects in any member of the publicwho may encounter them. A model has been developed to evaluate the use of mobile gamma spectrometry systems within such programmes, with particular emphasis on large volume (16 l) NaI(Tl) detectors mounted in low flying helicopters. This model uses a validated Monte Carlo code with assessment of local geochemistry and natural and anthropogenic background radiation concentrations and distributions. The results of the model, applied to the example of particles recovered from beaches in the vicinity of Sellafield, clearly show the ability of rapid airborne surveys conducted at 75 m ground clearance and 120 kph speeds to demonstrate the absence of sources greater than 5 MBq 137Cs within large areas (10–20 km2 h−1), and identify areas requiring further ground based investigation. Lowering ground clearance for airborne surveys to 15 m whilst maintaining speeds covering 1–2 km2 h−1 can detect buried 137Cs sources of 0.5 MBq or greater activity. A survey design to detect 100 kBq 137Cs sources at 10 cm depth has also been defined, requiring surveys at b15 m ground clearance and b2 m s−1 ground speed. The response of airborne systems to the Sellafield particles recovered to date has also been simulated, and the proportion of the existing radiocaesium background in the vicinity of the nuclear site has been established. Finally the rates of area coverage and sensitivities of both airborne and ground based approaches are compared, demonstrating the ability of airborne systems to increase the rate of particle recovery in a cost effective manner. The potential for equipment and methodological developments to improve performance are discussed