Plant Community Structure over an Elevation Gradient in Manongarivo Special Reserve, Madagascar

This study examines how plant community structure changes across an elevation gradient in Manongarivo Special Reserve, Madagascar. Three vegetation surveys were conducted at each of six different elevations (300m, 500m, 700m, 850m, 1000m, 1150m) on the southern slope of Bekolosy Mountain, near the southwestern border of the reserve. Each of these surveys focused on the diameter, height, and crown position of trees in a 156.25m2 plot, as well as the presence or absence of mosses and vines. At each of the six survey elevations, point-quadrat vertical structure data was also collected for the underbrush, up to a maximum height of 2.50m. Average diameter declines noticeably with altitude, from 10.36cm at 300m to 6.66cm at 1150m, with average total height exhibiting a similar but less defined pattern, from 10.74m at 300m to 6.09m at 1150m. Underbrush density increases with altitude, presumably due to an observed decrease in forest canopy closure allowing more sunlight and rainfall to reach the forest floor. Net wooded area also declines with altitude, though population density remains consistent or increases, indicating that smaller trees are more numerous at elevation. Correspondingly, the species diversity of large trees decreases with elevation. Moss coverage also increases as a function of elevation due to an assumed increase in humidity, though vine coverage remains mostly constant. Future research is necessary to measure changes in the abiotic qualities across this gradient, such as changes in average temperature or soil nutrient richness, to identify specific causes for the observed changes in the plant community

Public Diplomacy and the Missiles of October

This case study very ably illustrates the usefulness, as well as some shortcomings, of public diplomacy as an instrument of national policy with the improvement of world communications and the increased importance placed upon public opinion

The Prospects for Student Activism in Latin America

More than any single event or person, the University Reform Movement—given birth in 1918 at the University of Cordoba in Argentina—has been responsible for the current status of higher education in Latin America

David Hume and Modern Economics

Hume’s contribution to modern economics is normally thought of in terms of his early statement of the quantity theory of money, and to a lesser extent his views on trade and development. At a methodological level the influence from his empiricism is commonly traced to the development of econometrics. But if we explore his philosophy more fully, we find a much richer set of ideas which can illuminate the way we approach issues in modern economics. Here therefore we explore Hume’s theory of human nature and his theory of knowledge in order to understand how he viewed economic behaviour as inherently bound up in other aspects of life. From this follows a perspective on the relations between economics and other disciplines (notably history, sociology and psychology) which may inform current explorations of these relations. This reading of Hume’s approach to economics is illustrated by revisiting his theories of money and growth, and his approach to empiricism. Hume holds the potential for a much richer contribution to modern economics than is normally understood

Applying metaphors for learning to continuing professional development (CPD), in the context of a course for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs)j rs3_1186 42..54

The literature suggests that understandings of teaching and learning can be classified around two metaphors: acquisition and participation. It is further argued that neither metaphor is sufficient and that both are necessary. Drawing on material from a larger study related to the professional development of Special Educational Needs Coordinators, the paper uses concept maps and the associated interviews to explore the understandings of the course participants and changes in their conceptualisation over time. The data reveal that individuals do draw on both metaphors and that their progress can be viewed in terms of both acquiring knowledge and also progress from 'novice to expert.' If teaching and learning, and participants' progress are viewed in this way, there are implications for course development and evaluation. Some of these are considered

Fifty-year study of microplastics ingested by brachyuran and fish larvae in the central English North Sea

\ua9 2023 The Authors. Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants in marine environments. Among the many detrimental consequences of microplastic pollution, its consumption by marine biota is of particular relevance for human health, due to exposure through the food web. Long-term time-series biotic samples are overlooked sources of information for microplastics research. These collections are extremely valuable for the detection and monitoring of changes in marine environments. However, there are very few long-term studies (>10 years) of the uptake of microplastics by biota. Here, we used Dove Time Series planktonic samples (from 1971 to 2020) to assess the presence and prevalence of microplastics in the English North Sea coast over time. Fish and brachyuran larvae were selected due to their commercial importance and consequent implications for human health. A custom enzymatic digestion method was used to extract microplastics for FTIR-ATR polymer identification. An increasing cumulative trend in MP ingestion was identified. Cellophane and polyethylene terephthalate were the polymer types found most frequently in both taxa. Although a total higher microplastics uptake was observed in fish, consumption was not significantly different between taxa over time. Equally, results were not clearly related to microplastics shape or polymer type. This work did not find significant long-term evidence on the increasing uptake of microplastic particles by zooplankton over time. However, the results of this report identified additives, plasticisers, and other more complex and hazardous compounds that should not be released to the environment (e.g., bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimerate, propylene glycol ricinoleate) inside marine biota. The study detailed herein provides a case study for the use of long-term time-series in providing accurate assessments of microplastic pollution in marine biota

The Olympics, transnational law and legal transplants: the International Olympic Committee, ambush marketing and ticket touting

This paper concerns the origination, development and emergence of what might be termed ‘Olympic law’. This has an impact across borders and with transnational effect. It examines the unique process of creation of these laws, laws created by a national legislature to satisfy the commercial demands of a private body, the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It begins by critically locating the IOC and Olympic law and examining Olympic law as a transnational force. Using two case studies, those of ambush marketing and ticket touting, it demonstrates how private entities can be the drivers of specific, self-interested legislation when operating as a transnational organisation from within the global administrative space and notes the potential dangers of such legal transplants

Nutritional and ecological perspectives of the interrelationships between diet and the gut microbiome in multiple sclerosis:Insights from marmosets

Studies in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis, have shown potential links between diet components, microbiome composition, and modulation of immune responses. In this review, we reanalyze and discuss findings in an outbred marmoset EAE model in which a yogurt-based dietary supplement decreased disease frequency and severity. We show that although diet has detectable effects on the fecal microbiome, microbiome changes are more strongly associated with the EAE development. Using an ecological framework, we further show that the dominant factors influencing the gut microbiota were marmoset sibling pair and experimental time point. These findings emphasize challenges in assigning cause-and-effect relationships in studies of diet-microbiome-host interactions and differentiating the diet effects from other environmental, stochastic, and host-related factors. We advocate for animal experiments to be designed to allow causal inferences of the microbiota's role in pathology while considering the complex ecological processes that shape microbial communities

Greenland ice sheet surface temperature, melt and mass loss : 2000-06

Author Posting. © International Glaciological Society, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of International Glaciological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Glaciology 54 (2008): 81-93, doi:10.3189/002214308784409170.A daily time series of 'clear-sky' surface temperature has been compiled of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) using 1 km resolution moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land-surface temperature (LST) maps from 2000 to 2006. We also used mass-concentration data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to study mass change in relationship to surface melt from 2003 to 2006. The mean LST of the GIS increased during the study period by ∼0.27°C a−1. The increase was especially notable in the northern half of the ice sheet during the winter months. Melt-season length and timing were also studied in each of the six major drainage basins. Rapid (<15 days) and sustained mass loss below 2000 m elevation was triggered in 2004 and 2005 as recorded by GRACE when surface melt begins. Initiation of large-scale surface melt was followed rapidly by mass loss. This indicates that surface meltwater is flowing rapidly to the base of the ice sheet, causing acceleration of outlet glaciers, thus highlighting the metastability of parts of the GIS and the vulnerability of the ice sheet to air-temperature increases. If air temperatures continue to rise over Greenland, increased surface melt will play a large role in ice-sheet mass loss.This work was supported by NASA’s Cryospheric Sciences Program