3,285 research outputs found

    Microhabitat preferences of Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in young pine plantations in the Canadian boreal forest

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    Se utilizó polvo fluorescente para identificar las preferencias de Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) por distintos rasgos del microhabitat y para examinar el significado ecológico de tales preferencias. Se realizó análisis de datos por sexo. Los resultados muestran que P. maniculatus utilizaró áreas sin cobertura vegetal del estrato más alto, o áreas con cobertura de arbustos bajos o plantas herbáceas en el estrato bajo, y hojarazca y broza leñosa como sustrato. Los ratones prefirieron la cobertura de árboles desciduos en el estrato de vegetación más alto, tronco caídos de 5 a 10 cm de diámetro como cobertura del estrato bajo, y hojarazca como sustrato. La cobertura de pastos y el suelo desnudo fueron evitados. Los machos fueron indiferentes a la cobertura de arbustos bajos y evitaron la cobertura de dicotiledóneas herbáceas, mientras que las hembras prefirieron arena como sustrato y fueron indiferentes en el uso de rocas.The fluorescent pigment tracking technique was used to identify features of microhabitats preferred by Peromyscus maniculatus (Deer mouse) and to examine the ecological significance of such preferences in the Canadian boreal forest. Data were also analyzed by sex. Mice spent most of their travel time in areas lacking plant cover, or in areas associated with low shrubs, herbaceous dicots, leaf litter, and woody debris. They preferred deciduous trees as canopy cover, logs 5-10 cm in diameter as understory cover, and leaf litter as a substrate. Grass and bare soil were avoided as understory cover and substrate, respectively. Males showed no preference for low shrubs and avoided herbaceous dicots, whereas females showed no preference for herbaceous dicots and avoided low shrubs. Males showed no preference for sand and avoided rocks, whereas females preferred sand and showed no preference for rocks

    Pedagogic research in anatomical sciences: a best practice guide

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    This article explores the background of anatomical educational research. It draws together research and our own personal experiences to propose a best practice piece for novice researchers in anatomical education. The article explores the domains of both qualitative, and quantitative methods as applied to anatomy pedagogy. It takes into consideration validity and what might be undertaken to increase validity and reliability. The article explores how both qualitative and quantitative data can be analysed and recommends top tips including: Identify your research questions and theoretical framework. Map out how you are going to answer your research questions. Consider collaborating with like-minded researchers in other countries: multi-centre studies have a better chance of getting published and carefully consider your target journal and suggestions for peer review, taking into consideration individuals expertise and potential conflicts of interests. This article is designed to be a guide to anyone starting anatomical research or experienced researchers looking for new methods and ideas

    Professional Development Needs for Educators Working with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Inclusive School Environments

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    The primary objective of this mixed methods study was to identify educators’ professional development needs to determine how best to support them in providing quality programming for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) within an inclusive educational system. Information was collected through focus groups with key school board informants (n = 33) and a survey of educators (n = 225). The results indicate that educators have found it difficult to meet the wide-ranging and varying needs of children with ASD within a strictly defined model of inclusive education. Educators consistently emphasized the need for multileveled and multipronged professional development that is accessible in a timely fashion and available as needs arise. The need for educational programs that work for children with ASD being taught within inclusive education settings is highlighted

    Manejo de Pissodes strobi (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) en bosques de Pinus banksiana en Ontario, Canadá : factores de mortalidad de la plaga y selección de microhabitat por mamíferos predadores

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    Pissodes strobi Peck ataca plantaciones jóvenes de Pinus banksiana en el norte de Ontario, Canadá. Este estudio se realizó con los objetivos de 1) evaluar la mortalidad de P. strobi causada por predación por mamíferos, aves, e insectos en rodales plantados y sembrados, y 2) examinar la selección de microhabitat por Sorex cinereus (Insectivora, Soricidae), predador de P. strobi, para elaborar recomendaciones tendientes á incrementar su abundancia. La mortalidad total de adultos de P. strobi durante el invierno fue mayor en el rodal plantado (92%) que en el sembrado (78%). No hubo diferencia significativa en la mortalidad causada por otros factores entre rodales sembrados y plantados. La mortalidad de P. strobi debida a predación por mamíferos fue 12 %. Las aves predaron 8% de las larvas tardías y pupas, mientras que los insectos predadores parasitoides (mortalidad densodependiente inversa) y el apiñamiento (mortalidad densodependiente directa) produjeron una mortalidad de 48%. Sorex cinereus seleccionó microhabitats con alta cobertura de dicotiledóneas herbáceas, arbustos bajos y broza rica en hojas secas. Un manejo apropiado del bosque para incrementar la mortalidad de P. strobi debería considerar 1) dejar rodales maduros alrededor de aquellos recientes para incrementar los sitios de nidificación disponibles para las aves que anidan en cavidades; 2) dejar troncos caídos y en pie durante el proceso de preparación del sitio para la reforestación, para mejorar la calidad de microhabitat para mamíferos predadores; 3) reducir la aplicación de herbicidas; y 4) destruir los sitios de hibernación de la plaga.The white pine weevil, Pissodes strobi Peck, is a serious pest of young Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) plantations in northern Ontario, Canada. This study was conducted to assess pest mortality caused by mammals, birds, and insects in planted and seeded Jack pine, and to examine microhabitat selection by the masked shrew (Sorex cinereus), predator of weevils, in order to develop recommendations for management of the pest and its natural enemies. Total overwintering mortality of adult weevils was higher in the planted (92%) than in the seeded (78%) stand. There was no significant difference in mortality caused by other factors between the planted and seeded stands. Small mammals took an average of 12% of the adult weevil population during the winter. Birds killed 8% of the late larvae and pupae of weevils while insect predatorsparasitoids (inverse density-dependent mortality) and crowding of pupae (direct density-dependent mortality) destroyed 48 % of the larvae and pupae population. The masked shrew selected microhabitat with high coverage of herbaceous dicots, logs, and low shrubs, and leaf litter as substrate. Appropriate management strategies of the forest to increase mortality of P. strobi should include 1) leaving mature stands surrounding young plantations to provide nest sites for cavity nesters; 2) leaving fallen logs and snags in the process of site preparation to encourage mammalian predators; 3) reducing herbicide applications; and 4) destroying overwintering sites

    Diagnostics for assessing city-wide sanitation services

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    This paper presents results of research that has developed a set of diagnostic and decision-support tools for assessing sanitation services city-wide. It highlights features of the tools and illustrates key results from their validation through application in five cities worldwide. Collective use of these tools reveals and explains the complexities of the enabling environment and political economy within which sanitation services are delivered. Results present not only the status quo of services but also reasons for them being so. The tools have proven effective in guiding the collection, analysis and discussion of evidence, as a precursor to detailed feasibility studies, necessary to ultimately plan appropriate city-wide sanitation interventions

    Effect of dry-salt processing on the textural properties and cell wall polysaccharides of cv. Thasos black olives

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    BACKGROUND: Thasos is an olive variety cultivated mainly in Greece used to produce ‘naturally black dry-salted olives’. This process consists in placing the olives in disposed layers with coarse sodium chloride. The loss of water and other solutes gradually debitters and wrinkles the fruits. In this study, the effect of dry-salt processing on the texture and cell wall polysaccharide composition was investigated. RESULTS: This type of processing affected primarily the mechanical properties of the olive flesh. In processed olives, this tissue was approximately 4.5 times stronger and also more deformable up to failure and stiffer than that from the raw olives. The dry-salt processing had its strongest effect on pectic polysaccharides. This included the increment of solubilization of arabinose-rich polymers in aqueous solutions, and thus their partial loss to the soak medium during dry-salting. Contrarily, galacturonic acid-rich polymers were further retained in the processed olives, probably by their stabilization within the cell walls by reduction of the electrostatic repulsion between the acidic groups of these polysaccharides due to sodium ions. CONCLUSION: The texture improvement of olive flesh by dry-salt processing seems to be correlated with the reorganization of the galacturonic acid-rich pectic polysaccharides into the cell wall of the fruit

    A social inference model of idealization and devaluation

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    People often form polarized beliefs, imbuing objects (e.g., themselves or others) with unambiguously positive or negative qualities. In clinical settings, this is referred to as dichotomous thinking or "splitting" and is a feature of several psychiatric disorders. Here, we introduce a Bayesian model of splitting that parameterizes a tendency to rigidly categorize objects as either entirely "Bad" or "Good," rather than to flexibly learn dispositions along a continuous scale. Distinct from the previous descriptive theories, the model makes quantitative predictions about how dichotomous beliefs emerge and are updated in light of new information. Specifically, the model addresses how splitting is context-dependent, yet exhibits stability across time. A key model feature is that phases of devaluation and/or idealization are consolidated by rationally attributing counter-evidence to external factors. For example, when another person is idealized, their less-than-perfect behavior is attributed to unfavorable external circumstances. However, sufficient counter-evidence can trigger switches of polarity, producing bistable dynamics. We show that the model can be fitted to empirical data, to measure individual susceptibility to relational instability. For example, we find that a latent categorical belief that others are "Good" accounts for less changeable, and more certain, character impressions of benevolent as opposed to malevolent others among healthy participants. By comparison, character impressions made by participants with borderline personality disorder reveal significantly higher and more symmetric splitting. The generative framework proposed invites applications for modeling oscillatory relational and affective dynamics in psychotherapeutic contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

    Factors affecting consistency and accuracy in identifying modern macroperforate planktonic foraminifera

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    Planktonic foraminifera are widely used in biostratigraphic, palaeoceanographic and evolutionary studies, but the strength of many study conclusions could be weakened if taxonomic identifications are not reproducible by different workers. In this study, to assess the relative importance of a range of possible reasons for among-worker disagreement in identification, 100 specimens of 26 species of macroperforate planktonic foraminifera were selected from a core-top site in the subtropical Pacific Ocean. Twenty-three scientists at different career stages – including some with only a few days experience of planktonic foraminifera – were asked to identify each specimen to species level, and to indicate their confidence in each identification. The participants were provided with a species list and had access to additional reference materials. We use generalised linear mixed-effects models to test the relevance of three sets of factors in identification accuracy: participant-level characteristics (including experience), species-level characteristics (including a participant’s knowledge of the species) and specimen-level characteristics (size, confidence in identification). The 19 less experienced scientists achieve a median accuracy of 57 %, which rises to 75 % for specimens they are confident in. For the 4 most experienced participants, overall accuracy is 79 %, rising to 93 % when they are confident. To obtain maximum comparability and ease of analysis, everyone used a standard microscope with only 35× magnification, and each specimen was studied in isolation. Consequently, these data provide a lower limit for an estimate of consistency. Importantly, participants could largely predict whether their identifications were correct or incorrect: their own assessments of specimen-level confidence and of their previous knowledge of species concepts were the strongest predictors of accuracy
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