2,668 research outputs found

    Shifts in hexapod diversification and what Haldane could have said

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    Data on species richness and taxon age are assembled for the extant hexapod orders (insects and their six-legged relatives). Coupled with estimates of phylogenetic relatedness, and simple statistical null models, these data are used to locate where, on the hexapod tree, significant changes in the rate of cladogenesis (speciation-minus-extinction rate) have occurred. Significant differences are found between many successive pairs of sister taxa near the base of the hexapod tree, all of which are attributable to a shift in diversification rate after the origin of the Neoptera (insects with wing flexion) and before the origin of the Holometabola (insects with complete metamorphosis). No other shifts are identifiable amongst supraordinal taxa. Whilst the Coleoptera have probably diversified faster than either of their putative sister lineages, they do not stand out relative to other closely related clades. These results suggest that any Creator had a fondness for a much more inclusive clade than the Coleoptera, definitely as large as the Eumetabola (Holometabola plus bugs and their relatives), and possibly as large as the entire Neoptera. Simultaneous, hence probable causative events are discussed, of which the origin of wing flexion has been the focus of much attention

    Satellite and surface geophysical expression of anomalous crustal structure in Kentucky and Tennessee

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    An equivalent layer magnetization model is discussed. Inversion of long wavelength satellite magnetic anomaly data indicates a very magnetic source region centered in south central Kentucky. Refraction profiles suggest that the source of the gravity anomaly is a large mass of rock occupying much of the crustal thickness. The outline of the source delineated by gravity contours is also discernible in aeromagnetic anomaly patterns. The mafic plutonic complex, and several lines of evidence are consistent with a rift association. The body is, however, clearly related to the inferred position of the Grenville Front. It is bounded on the north by the fault zones of the 38th Parallel Lineament. It is suggested that such magnetization levels are achieved with magnetic mineralogies produced by normal oxidation and metamorphic processes and enhanced by viscous build-up, especially in mafic rocks of alkaline character

    The Moho as a magnetic boundary

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    Magnetic data are presented for mantle derived rocks: peridtites from St. Pauls rocks, dunite xenoliths from the kaupulehu flow in Hawaii, as well as peridolite, dunite and eclogite xenoliths from Roberts Victor, Dutoitspan, Kilbourne Hole, and San Carlos diatremes. The rocks are paramagnetic or very weakly ferromagnetic at room temperature. Saturation magnetization values range from 0.013 emu/gm to less than 0.001 emu/gm. A review of pertinent literature dealing with analysis of the minerals in mantle xenoliths provides evidence that metals and primary Fe3O4 are absent, and that complex CR, Mg, Al, and Fe spinels dominate the oxide mineralogy. All of the available evidence supports the magnetic results, indicating that the seismic MOHO is a magnetic boundary

    Personal Care Savings Bonds: A New Way of Saving Towards Social Care in Later Life

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    An ageing population ushers in a completely new era requiring society to find new solutions to funding social care and looking after older people. This is not a temporary issue that will go away and there are no quick economic fixes. In the U.K. it is estimated that the population aged 75+ will double from 5 million to 10 million by 2040. Financial building blocks are needed to pay for social care that will be sustained for decades and provide extra security for the individual. This paper proposes a new savings product called Personal Care Savings Bonds (PCSBs), which are designed to encourage saving for social care by providing extra money at the time of greatest financial need. PCSBs are likely to be attractive to older people who have only a basic pension and modest savings, but also to other age groups, as they not only attract interest but also pay prizes. Based on reasonable assumptions, the paper shows how the fund could build into a substantial investment worth ÂŁ70 billion with regular monthly prize pay-outs. In concept they are somewhat similar to Premium Bonds, another U.K. personal savings product that has been successfully operating since 1956

    The evolution of gregariousness in parasitoid wasps

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    Data are assembled on the clutch-size strategies adopted by extant species of parasitoid wasp. These data are used to reconstruct the history of clutch-size evolution in the group using a series of plausible evolutionary assumptions. Extant families are either entirely solitary, both solitary and gregarious, or else clutch size is unknown. Parsimony analysis suggests that the ancestors of most families were solitary, a result which is robust to different phylogenetic relationships and likely data inadequacies. This implies that solitariness was ubiquitous throughout the initial radiation of the group, and that transitions to gregariousness have subsequently occurred a minimum of 43 times in several, but not all lineages. Current data suggest that species-rich and small-bodied lineages are more likely to have evolved gregariousness, and contain more species with small gregarious brood sizes. I discuss the implications of these data for clutch-size theory

    Epidemiology of Injury in Women’s Super League Football: A Cohort Study

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    Introduction: The epidemiology of injury in male professional football has been well documented (Ekstrand, Hägglund, & Waldén, 2011) and used as a basis to understand injury trends for a number of years. The prevalence and incidence of injuries occurring in women’s super league football is unknown. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence and incidence of injury in an English Super League Women’s Football squad. Methods: Following ethical approval from Leeds Beckett University, players (n = 25) signed to a Women’s Super League Football club provided written informed consent to complete a self-administered injury survey. Measures of exposure, injury and performance over a 12-month period was gathered

    What should medical students be taught about abortion? An evaluation of student attitudes towards their abortion teaching and their future involvement in abortion care

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    BACKGROUND: One in three women in the United Kingdom (UK) will have an abortion before age 45, making abortion provision an essential aspect of reproductive healthcare. Despite this, abortion remains ethically contested and stigmatised, with variable teaching in UK medical schools and concerns about falling numbers of doctors willing to participate in abortion care. University College London Medical School (UCLMS) has designed practical, inclusive, teaching that aims to give students an understanding of the importance of abortion care and prepare them to be competent practitioners in this area. This study aimed to determine students' opinions of this teaching and their wider attitudes towards abortion. METHODS: We invited all 357 final-year UCL medical students to complete an online survey consisting of closed-ended questions, exploring their opinions on their abortion teaching, their personal beliefs about abortion and their future willingness to be involved in abortion care. We analysed responses using non-parametric tests. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-six questionnaires (41% response rate) showed 83% of students identified as pro-choice (agree with the right to choose an abortion). Fifty-seven percent felt they received the right amount of abortion teaching, 39% would have liked more and 4% stated they received too much. There was no correlation between students' attitudes to abortion and the rating of teaching; both pro-choice and pro-life (opposed to the right to choose an abortion) students generally rated the teaching as important and valued the range of methods used. Students requested more simulated practice speaking to patients requesting an abortion. Students with pro-life beliefs expressed lower willingness to discuss, refer, certify and provide future abortions. Students interested in careers in specialties where they may encounter abortion were more likely to be pro-choice than pro-life. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of participating UCL medical students were pro-choice and willing to be involved in future abortion care. Efforts to make teaching on abortion practical, engaging, sensitive and inclusive were appreciated. As well as preparing students to be competent and caring practitioners, the teaching appears to contribute towards them viewing abortion as an essential aspect of women's healthcare, and may contribute to destigmatising abortion

    Blast injuries in children: a mixed-methods narrative review.

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    Background and significance. Blast injuries arising from high explosive weaponry is common in conflict areas. While blast injury characteristics are well recognised in the adults, there is a lack of consensus as to whether these characteristics translate to the paediatric population. Understanding blast injury patterns in this cohort is essential for providing appropriate provision of services and care for this vulnerable cohort. Methods. In this mixed-method review, original papers were screened for data pertaining to paediatric injuries following blasts. Information on demographics, morbidity and mortality and service requirements were evaluated. The papers were written and published in English from a range of international specialists in the field. Patient and public involvement statement: No patients or members of the public were involved in this review. Results. Children affected by blast injuries are predominantly male and their injuries arise from explosive remnants of war, particularly unexploded ordinance. Blasts show increased morbidity and mortality in younger children, while older children have injury patterns similar to adults. Head and burn injuries represent a significant cause of mortality in young children, while lower limb morbidity is reduced compared to adults. Children have a disproportionate requirement for both operative and non-operative service resources, and provisions for this burden are essential. Conclusions. Certain characteristics of paediatric injuries arising from blasts are distinct from that of the adult cohort, while the intensive demands on services highlights the importance of understanding the diverse injury patterns in order to optimise future service provisions in caring for this the child blast survivor

    Not Quite this and not Quite that: Anorexia Nervosa, Counselling Psychology, and Hermeneutic Inquiry in a Tapestry of Ambiguity

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    As a group of researchers exploring how to best understand the complex topic of families discovering their loved one has anorexia nervosa (AN), we found that we had to weave ambiguity into our design. Embracing ambiguity allowed us to create a tapestry that acknowledges the ambiguity of AN, counselling psychology (and other helping professions), and hermeneutic inquiry. In fact, the “not quite this and not quite that” features of these three constructs emerged as the thread that holds the inquiry together. We review the topic of AN through a lens of ambiguity.  Further, we position both the field of counselling psychology and the research method of hermeneutic inquiry as compatible frameworks in the study of AN, in both practice and research. By acknowledging, and at times even embracing, ambiguity, we respect the complexity of the situation we are studying. 

    Building a Web-Features Taxonomy for Structuring Web Design Guidelines

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    This paper proposes a framework for structuring web design guidelines that incorporates the hierarchies of web features and their semantic relationships with HTML and CSS. It is argued that this approach will be synchronous with the mental model of web designers, thus making the guidelines more usable. In addition, this approach embraces both external and internal aspects of web design, so there is little compromise on the coverage of web design issues. An experiment was conducted to compare the relative effectiveness of the proposed framework with other guideline structures (e.g., principle-oriented and a mixture of principle and feature-oriented). There was evidence that the principle-oriented guidelines performed worse than the other structures, but the analyses failed to establish that the proposed framework as the most effective. The experiment showed promising results but it suffered from small sample size. In spite of this, it is believed that the proposed taxonomy and framework has laid the groundwork for future research.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline
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