Cellulases from extremely thermophilic bacteria

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth, and is the major component of urban waste. Thus cellulose must be seen as a very significant renewable source of chemical foodstocks when fossil fuels become restricted

Application of Radarsat imagery on grassland heterogeneity assessment

Non-Peer ReviewedHeterogeneity, the degree of dissimilarity, is one of the most important and widely applicable concepts in ecology. It is highly related to ecosystem condition and wildlife habitat. In this study, the feasibility of applying Radarsat-1 HH polarization Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image on heterogeneity study is tested on the Grasslands National Park (GNP) and surrounding pastures. GNP is located in southern Saskatchewan along the international boundary of Canada and the United States, which represents northern mixed grasslands. Fieldwork was conducted at GNP and surrounding pastures from June to July, 2003. Biophysical variables including species composition, cover, biomass, and canopy height were collected from 10 sites. Height heterogeneity index, Shannon’s index, and standard deviation were calculated based on field data. One standard mode Radarsat-1 HH image acquired on August 1, 2003 was used for this study. Parameters from texture analysis and standard deviation of the backscatters are correlated with biophysical parameters to measure grasslands heterogeneity. Results showed that different parameters had various abilities to detect field heterogeneity. Correlation showed the highest ability to explain variation of bareground cover (79%). Mean and contrast can also be utilized to explain the variation of grass biomass and standing dead cover (59% and 56% respectively)

Detecting change in disturbed areas in Grasslands National Park using remote sensing techniques

Non-Peer ReviewedGrasslands National Park was established in 1984, when it began to acquire land from local land owners as it became available for sale. One of the purposes of this park was to create an area where native prairie can be restored and conserved. Because the park is concerned with creating a natural prairie ecosystem, the extent and spread of introduced species (disturbed areas), is of interest. In response to this interest, the first objective of this project is to analyze the spatial distribution of change between 1984 and 2001 in disturbed areas within the West Block of Grasslands National Park using remote sensing techniques. The second objective is to evaluate which vegetation indices were best suited to map vegetation change between 1984 and 2001. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) and Simple Ratio (SR) were calculated for both the 1984 and 2001 satellite data, and then each of the vegetation index images were subtracted from one another to reveal the change that had occurred between the two dates. Results showed that the species Summer-cypress was often associated with negative change; while Smooth Brome was possibly associated with areas of positive change, particularly in the north-east corner of the park where the Frenchman River crosses the park boundaries. It was found that NDVI was the best vegetation index to map change in disturbed areas of Grasslands National Park in valleys and high moisture areas, while the SAVI was best suited for dry, upland areas

Mobilizing Journalism Education

This paper evaluates several examples of integrating mobile social media within new pedagogical frameworks applied to journalism education, representing the reified activity of a journalism lecturer community of practice. We propose a mobile social media framework as a catalyst for new pedagogies that support student participation within a professional community. The framework leverages Skype and Twitter for facilitating authentic collaborative student-directed projects, establishing student eportfolios using a collage of social media, curating and critiquing mobile social media source material around news events using Storify, and the use of new and emerging collaborative mobile video applications such as Vyclone and Vine

The dinosaur tracks of Tyrants Aisle: An Upper Cretaceous ichnofauna from Unit 4 of the Wapiti Formation (upper Campanian), Alberta, Canada

The Wapiti Formation of northwest Alberta and northeast British Columbia, Canada, preserves an Upper Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrate fauna that is latitudinally situated between those documented further north in Alaska and those from southern Alberta and the contiguous U.S.A. Therefore, the Wapiti Formation is important for identifying broad patterns in vertebrate ecology, diversity, and distribution across Laramidia during the latest Cretaceous. Tracksites are especially useful as they provide a range of palaeoecological, palaeoenvironmental, and behavioural data that are complementary to the skeletal record. Here, we describe the Tyrants Aisle locality, the largest in-situ tracksite known from the Wapiti Formation. The site occurs in the lower part of Unit 4 of the formation (~72.5 Ma, upper Campanian), exposed along the southern bank of the Redwillow River. More than 100 tracks are documented across at least three distinct track-bearing layers, which were deposited on an alluvial floodplain. Hadrosaurid tracks are most abundant, and are referable to Hadrosauropodus based on track width exceeding track length, broad digits, and rounded or bilobed heel margins. We suggest the hadrosaurid trackmaker was Edmontosaurus regalis based on stratigraphic context. Tyrannosaurids, probable troodontids, possible ornithomimids, and possible azhdarchid pterosaurs represent minor but notable elements of the ichnofauna, as the latter is unknown from skeletal remains within the Wapiti Formation, and all others are poorly represented. Possible social behaviour is inferred for some of the hadrosaurid and small theropod-like trackmakers based on trackway alignment, suitable spacing and consistent preservation. On a broad taxonomic level (i.e., family or above), ichnofaunal compositions indicate that hadrosaurids were palaeoecologically dominant across Laramidia during the late Campanian within both high-and low-latitude deposits, although the role of depositional environment requires further testing

Inclusive growth in English cities: mainstreamed or sidelined?

<p>The concept of inclusive growth is increasingly presented as offering prospects for more equitable social outcomes. However, inclusive growth is subject to a variety of interpretations and lacks definitional clarity. In England, via devolution, cities are taking on new powers for policy domains that can influence inclusive growth outcomes. This opens up opportunities for innovation to address central issues of low pay and poverty. This paper examines the extent to which inclusive growth concerns form a central or peripheral aspect in this new devolution through the content analysis of devolution agreements. It concludes that inclusive growth concerns appear to be largely sidelined.</p

Local industrial strategy and skills policy in England: Assessing the linkages and limitations – a case study of the Sheffield City Deal

This paper examines changes in local economic development policy which occurred between 2010 and 2015, with a focus on the relationship between industrial strategy and skills policy. Under the Coalition Government, Local Enterprise Partnerships were established and tasked with facilitating local growth, and to do so many identified a set of (potential) growth sectors for industrial strategy to support. These sectors tended to be drawn from a relatively narrow range of industries which therefore often excluded a large proportion of the local economy. An important focus of the support for growth sectors for many has been through an ambition to influence the local skills system. Skills policy more broadly has been an important dimension of devolution, and a number of City Deals have included elements of skills policy. Echoing previous national policy however, the focus of local concerns with skills under devolution has been framed largely with reference to skills gaps and shortages. While specific skills gaps and shortages can be identified, this paper questions whether this default position is reflected widely, and as such, if a narrow focus on skills supply is a sufficient approach. It is argued that to support local growth across a broad base, greater attention needs to be paid to stimulating employer demand for skills through better integrating industrial and innovation policy with skills policymaking across a wider section of the local economy. To support these arguments we present a case study of the Sheffield City Deal

The realities of being young, unemployed and poor in post-industrial Britain

Poverty is a complex cultural phenomenon that is very much in existence in contemporary post-industrial Britain. A young person’s poverty-striken situation, in addition to their marginalised hierarchal position, shapes their repetitive life cycle comprising different but interrelated forms of marginality. The young people in this ethnographic study were found to experience marginalisation in their education, training and work spheres, as well as in their community, family and home. The purpose of this article is to carefully analyse the link between marginalised young people’s (in)ability to participate in key social systems and their (lack of) access to financial, cultural and social resources