Hawaiian Picture‐Winged Drosophila Exhibit Adaptive Population Divergence along a Narrow Climatic Gradient on Hawaii Island

1. Anthropogenic influences on global processes and climatic conditions are increasingly affecting ecosystems throughout the world. 2. Hawaii Island’s native ecosystems are well studied and local long‐term climatic trends well documented, making these ecosystems ideal for evaluating how native taxa may respond to a warming environment. 3.This study documents adaptive divergence of populations of a Hawaiian picture‐winged Drosophila, D. sproati, that are separated by only 7 km and 365 m in elevation. 4.Representative laboratory populations show divergent behavioral and physiological responses to an experimental low‐intensity increase in ambient temperature during maturation. The significant interaction of source population by temperature treatment for behavioral and physiological measurements indicates differential adaptation to temperature for the two populations. 5.Significant differences in gene expression among males were mostly explained by the source population, with eleven genes in males also showing a significant interaction of source population by temperature treatment. 6.The combined behavior, physiology, and gene expression differences between populations illustrate the potential for local adaptation to occur over a fine spatial scale and exemplify nuanced response to climate change

Battlegrounds of environmental change

The Thames catchment encompasses one of Europe’s largest cities, the UK’s principal aquifer, an extensive zone of coastal interaction and much else. It presents a unique conjunction of geological, hydrogeological, environmental and socio-economic factors that are intrinsically linked by the effects of environmental change and the pressures of developmen

Identification of core goals and related outcome measurements for the development of community service-learning programs in selected institutions of higher education

The purpose of this study was to identify important educational goals and valid and feasible outcome measures that could be used in the design and development of campus based service-learning programs. The study was designed to utilize the consensus of a panel of experts responsible for the administration notable college or university campus-based service-learning programs. In addition to responding to questionnaires that indicated the perceived importance of the identified goals, followed by the validity and feasibility of the identified outcome measures, the selected panelists were asked to identify potential problems associated with using the outcome measures. The findings may be useful in understanding which goals and outcome measures would be most valuable in the design and development of a campus based service-learning program. Utilizing the Delphi method, three structured questionnaires designed by the researcher were used to collect responses by the identified experts. The first questionnaire included important core goals and related outcome measures for campus-based service-learning centers as identified through an extensive review of the literature and constructed based on sequential reasoning. After each set of outcome measures, respondents were asked to evaluate each goal according to their perceived importance, and each outcome measure according to their perceived validity and feasibility using Likert-type scales. The panelists were then asked to identify potential problems associated with using the outcome measures and suggest additional outcome measures. A second and third questionnaire was distributed to the panel members, with a summary of responses from the previous round. Panel members were asked to review their individual response in comparison to the group mean score and reevaluate their response if it fell outside the interquartile range (IQR) of the combined response ratings. Responses stabilized following round three and the process ended. Statistical analysis of inter-rater agreement and agreement between rounds was done to determine if the Delphi process was successful in promoting consensus on ratings. A final review of ratings of goals and outcome measures was used to identify the important goals and the outcome measures identified with the highest validity and feasibility ratings. In addition, panelist comments were used to interpret final ratings

3D ground-use optimisation for sustainable urban development planning: a case-study from Earls Court, London, UK

Cities provide opportunities for economic growth, cultural and social development and scientific and technological innovation. Yet they have often developed without coordination and integration of the mutual benefits that could be provided by using urban underground space (UUS), often to the detriment or exclusion of other potential city functions (Parriaux et al., 2004). Given that 60% of the area expected to be urbanised by 2030 has yet to be built (World Economic Forum, 2016) there is significant opportunity to influence future city planning and design using subsurface engineering geological ground models as a component part of a UUS management system. For future city development to be sustainable and resilient to change, an integrated approach that crosses disciplines and facilitates desirable urban futures while minimising the likelihood of undesirable ones is required (Lombardi et al., 2012; Price et al., 2016).University of Cambridge Future Cities Fellowshi

BioAcoustica : a free and open repository and analysis platform for bioacoustics

We describe an online open repository and analysis platform, BioAcoustica (http://bio. acousti.ca), for recordings of wildlife sounds. Recordings can be annotated using a crowdsourced approach, allowing voice introductions and sections with extraneous noise to be removed from analyses. This system is based on the Scratchpads virtual research environment, the BioVeL portal and the Taverna workflow management tool, which allows for analysis of recordings using a grid computing service. At present the analyses include spectrograms, oscillograms and dominant frequency analysis. Further analyses can be integrated to meet the needs of specific researchers or projects. Researchers can upload and annotate their recordings to supplement traditional publication

Fostering collaborative language learning with Google Docs

This 90-minute workshop will train participants on how to employ Google Docs as a resource for eliciting learner interaction and collaboration. The first part of the workshop will demonstrate sample tasks and materials from an ESL speaking and listening class. Following the demonstration, the workshop will include a hands-on guide to using Google Docs. Participants will have a chance to develop their own materials, and we will hold an open discussion on ideas and approaches for harnessing these tools in language learning

Proposal for an astronaut mass measurement device for the Space Shuttle

For medical reasons, astronauts in space need to have their mass measured. Currently, this measurement is performed using a mass-spring system. The current system is large, inaccurate, and uncomfortable for the astronauts. NASA is looking for new, different, and preferably better ways to perform this measurement process. After careful analysis our design team decided on a linear acceleration process. Within the process, four possible concept variants are put forth. Among these four variants, one is suggested over the others. The variant suggested is that of a motor-winch system to linearly accelerate the astronaut. From acceleration and force measurements of the process combined Newton's second law, the mass of an astronaut can be calculated