Vegetation composition and structure are important predictors of oviposition site selection in an alpine butterfly, the Mountain Ringlet Erebia epiphron

Knowledge of species’ ecological requirements is key for designing effective conservation management. In butterflies, the needs of larval stages are often the most specialised part of the life-cycle, but for many species information on this is lacking. The Mountain Ringlet Erebia epiphron is a cold-adapted butterfly found in alpine grasslands in mountainous regions of Europe. Efforts to devise conservation strategies for this climate change-threatened species are hampered due to its basic ecology being poorly understood. Here, we describe a study on the autecology of Mountain Ringlets at sites across its British distribution, focusing on the habitat preferences of egg-laying females as a proxy for larval preferences. Female Mountain Ringlets placed their eggs predominantly on Nardus stricta and Festuca ovina, but also on several other host plant species, suggesting larvae may be more broadly polyphagous than previously realised. Sites chosen for eggs had higher abundance of larval host plants, intermediate leaf litter cover, and lower cover of grass tussocks than random locations, as well as a shorter and sparser grass sward. Although the main host plant is ubiquitous in upland areas of Britain, our findings suggest that this butterfly’s egg and larval stages have specialised ecological requirements, requiring specific microhabitat features characterised by a narrow range of vegetation composition and structural characteristics. Many habitat associations are liable to be explicable as adaptations to ensure placement of eggs and larvae in sites within optimal (warm or buffered) microclimates. We tentatively suggest that the distribution of Mountain Ringlets in the landscape is thermally-constrained

Determination of micro-scale plastic strain caused by orthogonal cutting

An electron beam lithography technique has been used to produce microgrids in order to measure local plastic strains, induced during an orthogonal cutting process, at the microscopic scale in the shear zone and under the machined surface. Microgrids with a 10 μm pitch and a line width less than 1 μm have been printed on the polished surface of an aluminium alloy AA 5182 to test the applicability of the technique in metal cutting operations. Orthogonal cutting tests were carried out at 40 mm/s. Results show that the distortion of the grids could successfully be used to compute plastic strains due to orthogonal cutting with higher accuracy compared to other techniques reported in the literature. Strain maps of the machined specimens have been produced and show high-strain gradients very close to the machined surface with local values reaching 2.2. High-resolution strain measurements carried out in the primary deformation zone also provide new insight into the material deformation during the chip formation process

Recurrence of konzo in southern Tanzania: Rehabilitation and prevention using the wetting method

There have been four konzo outbreaks in Tanzania from 1985 to 2002/2003 with a total of 363 cases of konzo. Every outbreak of konzo resulted from large cyanogen intakes from bitter cassava during drought, which caused food shortages and led to people using short-cut methods of cassava processing. Rehabilitation of the 214 konzo subjects from the two most recent outbreaks of konzo in southern Tanzania was carried out by screening konzo subjects and included provision of crutches and wheel chairs. The wetting method was taught to 216 women activists from the konzo-prone villages, in the first large scale community based intervention to reduce cyanogen intake. Using cassava cyanide kits, the average total cyanide content was reduced by the wetting method about 4-fold, in agreement with previous studies. This model to help prevent konzo requires the widespread education of women activists to use the wetting method

Promoting a culture change in junior and youth sport in New Zealand

This paper provides insight into the evolution of a project designed to address longstanding adult attitudes and behavioural issues in junior and youth sport in New Zealand. The project was funded by Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ) and implemented by Aktive, a charitable trust that works with national and regional partners to fund and deliver community sport in Auckland. Aktive collaborated with a team of junior and youth sport researchers, adopting a pragmatic, mixed methods design-based research (DBR) approach to co-design an educational delivery framework aimed at influencing attitudes and assumptions underpinning coaches, parents, and community sport leaders’ behaviours. Transformative learning principles informed the delivery framework with the project reaching 4,222 participants. Research evaluations included multiple case studies, surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, which confirmed awareness of problematic beliefs. The programme expanded to Regional Sport Organisations (RSOs) and National Sport Organisations (NSOs) culminating in a nationwide rollout. The study highlights the eectiveness of theoretically informed adult behaviour change programmes in junior and youth sport, the benefits of programmes being underpinned by a rigorous pedagogical approach, and the benefits of sport organisations and researchers collaborating to design and deliver sustainable change initiatives that address belief systems underpinning current issues

Roll pressure distribution in strip rolling

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