Llysdinam's contribution to ornithology in Mid-Wales

The Llysdinam Estate of the Dillwyn Venables Llewelyn family lies opposite the village of Newbridge‐ on‐Wye in mid Powys, separated from it by the River Wye. In the early 1900s Sir Charles Dillwyn Llewellyn set up, on the estate, one of the earliest monitored nest box sites in Wales. Monitoring continued through his son Sir Michael. When Sir Michael invited what is now Cardiff University to open a Field Centre at Llysdinam he had established a facility that took over existing, and developed new, ornithological investigations which have continued, in part, even after the Llysdinam Field Centre closed in 2010. This report gives a flavour of the range of ornithological topics which have been undertaken in the mid‐Wales rivers and woodlands over the last half century involving the Llysdinam Field Centre

The social and environmental history of the River Wye, Wales, as viewed through the changing status of its Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) population

The River Wye has long had a social meaning to the people of Wales and further afield beginning with the search for the “picturesque” in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, through to the recognition of its environmental value with its designation as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), a key element in that designation of the Wye and at five other such sites in Wales, is the top predator on the river and as such reflects the cumulative changes over time within the riverine food chain and environment. Historically it lived in a river of such salmonid abundance that many poor families relied on salmon as their main protein resource with plenty left for a thriving otter population. Land use change leading to siltation of spawning grounds and agrochemical effects on otter reproduction resulted on the Wye, as elsewhere, in the species decline. Measures to stimulate recovery of the otter population have been well documented including regular surveys complemented by post-mortem analyses. The recovery has been accompanied by a greater awareness of the wider needs of the species as reflected in the provision of artificial holts and in underpasses etc. in new road developments. However, the positive elements of its changing status are not universally welcomed

Once upon a rookery

The fate of rookeries in Britain over the twentieth century is briefly reviewed and related to changes, particularly in the last 50 years, to rookeries in a single village context in mid Wales. Recent predation of some of these rookeries by Red Kite is set in the wider context of potentially increased predation of established bird species by human vectored or supported species

Subject preferences of fifth-grade children.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University N.B.:Pages 155 and 309 are missing from original thesis

Artemisinin versus Nonartemisinin Combination Therapy for Uncomplicated Malaria: Randomized Clinical Trials from Four Sites in Uganda

BACKGROUND: Drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum poses a major threat to malaria control. Combination antimalarial therapy including artemisinins has been advocated recently to improve efficacy and limit the spread of resistance, but artemisinins are expensive and relatively untested in highly endemic areas. We compared artemisinin-based and other combination therapies in four districts in Uganda with varying transmission intensity. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We enrolled 2,160 patients aged 6 mo or greater with uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Patients were randomized to receive chloroquine (CQ) + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP); amodiaquine (AQ) + SP; or AQ + artesunate (AS). Primary endpoints were the 28-d risks of parasitological failure either unadjusted or adjusted by genotyping to distinguish recrudescence from new infections. A total of 2,081 patients completed follow-up, of which 1,749 (84%) were under the age of 5 y. The risk of recrudescence after treatment with CQ + SP was high, ranging from 22% to 46% at the four sites. This risk was significantly lower (p < 0.01) after AQ + SP or AQ + AS (7%–18% and 4%–12%, respectively). Compared to AQ + SP, AQ + AS was associated with a lower risk of recrudescence but a higher risk of new infection. The overall risk of repeat therapy due to any recurrent infection (recrudescence or new infection) was similar at two sites and significantly higher for AQ + AS at the two highest transmission sites (risk differences = 15% and 16%, p< 0.003). CONCLUSION: AQ + AS was the most efficacious regimen for preventing recrudescence, but this benefit was outweighed by an increased risk of new infection. Considering all recurrent infections, the efficacy of AQ + SP was at least as efficacious at all sites and superior to AQ + AS at the highest transmission sites. The high endemicity of malaria in Africa may impact on the efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy. The registration number for this trial is ISRCTN67520427 (http://www.controlled-trials.com/isrctn/trial/|/0/67520427.html)

Can willow roots oxygenate leachate in vegetation filter beds?¬ a mass spectrometer investigation in Wales

Membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) was used to monitor dissolved gas concentrations in-situ in laboratory microcosms and in a constructed willow vegetation filter bed in Walesused to treat leachate. A mini-rhizotron digital camera system was developed for use incombination with MIMS studies of gas dynamics. The major results of the studies are:-• Diurnal cycles in the concentrations of 02, CO2 and C� were shown to occur with arooted willow cutting in a stirred microcosm.• Willow beds show considerable sub-surface spatial diversity. Generally, oxygen decreaseswith depth whereas methane and carbon dioxide increase with depth. Small pockets ofgases were seen. Oxygen occurred throughout the profile.• Microbial processes follow diurnal cycles. Oxygen is released from willow roots duringdaylight. Methane and carbon dioxide accumulate during the dark.• The high degree of mixing distributes oxygenated water throughout the bed. Stopping theflow of leachate allowed conditions to become anaerobic, except in local micro-sites.These techniques appear to offer considerable potential for direct measurement of sub-surfaceenvironments in constructed wetlands, particularly in respect of the microbial processesoccurring in the bed, and the oxygenation capacity of willow vegetation filters