Recent work at the World Data Centre for Geomagnetism (Edinburgh)

Observatory data holdings at the World Data Centre for Geomagnetism (Edinburgh) www.wdc.bgs.ac.uk include minute, hourly and annual mean values of the geomagnetic field from over 500 observatories since the early 19th century. We describe ongoing maintenance of this important data resource, data-checking procedures developed with global modelling in mind, and some recent additions and corrections

Stable isotopes of Hawaiian spiders reflect substrate properties along a chronosequence.

The Hawaiian Islands offer a unique opportunity to test how changes in the properties of an isolated ecosystem are propagated through the organisms that occur within that ecosystem. The age-structured arrangement of volcanic-derived substrates follows a regular progression over space and, by inference, time. We test how well documented successional changes in soil chemistry and associated vegetation are reflected in organisms at higher trophic levels-specifically, predatory arthropods (spiders)-across a range of functional groups. We focus on three separate spider lineages: one that builds capture webs, one that hunts actively, and one that specializes on eating other spiders. We analyze spiders from three sites across the Hawaiian chronosequence with substrate ages ranging from 200 to 20,000 years. To measure the extent to which chemical signatures of terrestrial substrates are propagated through higher trophic levels, we use standard stable isotope analyses of nitrogen and carbon, with plant leaves included as a baseline. The target taxa show the expected shift in isotope ratios of δ15N with trophic level, from plants to cursorial spiders to web-builders to spider eaters. Remarkably, organisms at all trophic levels also precisely reflect the successional changes in the soil stoichiometry of the island chronosequence, demonstrating how the biogeochemistry of the entire food web is determined by ecosystem succession of the substrates on which the organisms have evolved

Social Work Practice and Technological Disasters: The Navajo Uranium Experience

Findings of a community case study of Navajo uranium workers and their families are presented in light of the effects of technological disasters. The workers and their families were exposed to occupational and environmental hazards associated with the mining and milling of uranium. Implications for social work practice and education are presented using the concepts of a therapeutic community and victim typology

‘A productive and happy collaboration’: maximising impact through project design

This case study describes a highly collaborative project created to develop an online self-assessment tool that offers students the opportunity to plan their preparedness to enter the work place named the Preparation for Placement Assessment Tool. The aim of the project was to develop an artefact that aidsall students to think about and prepare for placements, and more broadly to be work-ready. It also aims to help disabled students to identify and manage their individual needs. Working in collaboration with students is offered as an effective strategy for improving project outcomes and managing the tensions for academics of balancing research, teaching, learning and scholarly activities.This paper discusses the project background, design and delivery, which includes the engagement of a diverse mix of students, and the practice research methodologies used. Discussion focuses on the project’s impact, particularly on the students involved. Four key factors: student power, methodology, the use of funding and slow burn are identified as significant for success

A comparison of data holdings at World Data Centres for geomagnetism in Edinburgh and Kyoto

Geomagnetic data are held by a number of World Data Centres (WDC) with each Centre having different holdings and different methods of distribution. These Centres are run by institutes in Boulder, Edinburgh, Kyoto, Moscow and Mumbai. Using data from two of these WDCs we describe methods to compare temporal coverage of data, and, importantly, the data themselves. This study examines the hourly data common to Edinburgh and Kyoto and gives details of the number of observatory-years of data where disagreements are found, and quantifies the level of disagreement. We show several examples of datasets that differ between the two WDCs, and report on the nature of the differences in detail. Finally, we explore possible reasons for the differences found between the data holdings and suggest next steps towards the unification of the WDC data holdings

LMDA New & Noteworthy, May 2019

Contents include: Crossing Borders, Pt. 2: Action in a Time of Division; Q&A | Katie Welsh; Post-Apprenticeship Reflections: How We Learned by Doing; The Kennedy Center New Play Dramaturgy Intensive 2019; Call for Translators.https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1041/thumbnail.jp

The Impact of Left Hemisphere Stroke on Force Control with Familiar and Novel Objects: Neuroanatomic Substrates and Relationship to Apraxia

Fingertip force scaling for lifting objects frequently occurs in anticipation of finger contact. An ongoing question concerns the types of memories that are used to inform predictive control. Object-specific information such as weight may be stored and retrieved when previously encountered objects are lifted again. Alternatively, visual size and shape cues may provide estimates of object density each time objects are encountered. We reasoned that differences in performance with familiar versus novel objects would provide support for the former possibility. Anticipatory force production with both familiar and novel objects was assessed in six left hemisphere stroke patients, two of whom exhibited deficient actions with familiar objects (ideomotor apraxia; IMA), along with five control subjects. In contrast to healthy controls and stroke participants without IMA, participants with IMA displayed poor anticipatory scaling with familiar objects. However, like the other groups, IMA participants learned to differentiate fingertip forces with repeated lifts of both familiar and novel objects. Finally, there was a significant correlation between damage to the inferior parietal and superior and middle temporal lobes and impaired anticipatory control for familiar objects. These data support the hypotheses that anticipatory control during lifts of familiar objects in IMA patients are based on object-specific memories and that the ventro-dorsal stream is involved in the long-term storage of internal models used for anticipatory scaling during object manipulation

Quality control procedures at the World Data Centre for Geomagnetism (Edinburgh)

Geomagnetism data holdings at the World Data Centre for Geomagnetism (Edinburgh) include observatory minute, hourly and annual mean values and global magnetic survey and repeat station data. Until 2007 the observatory minute and hourly mean value holdings were maintained by the Danish Meteorological Institute. We describe the quality control procedures developed at the British Geological Survey for application to new and legacy data. A number of issues raised for the legacy observatory hourly mean values result from formatting and typographical mistakes. The clearly obvious mistakes are being corrected in the WDC data that are made available at www.wdc.bgs.ac.uk. Whilst these quality control procedures have been mostly developed with the application of global modelling in mind, they will have benefits for all users of the data. Some examples of corrections are given