Translating Ecological Integrity terms into operational language to inform societies

It is crucial that societies are informed on the risks of impoverished ecosystem health for their well-being. For this purpose, Ecological Integrity (EI) is a useful concept that seeks to capture the complex nature of ecosystems and their interaction with social welfare. But the challenge remains to measure EI and translate scientific terminology into operational language to inform society. We propose an approach that simplifies marine ecosystem complexity by applying scientific knowledge to identify which components reflect the state or state change of ecosystems. It follows a bottom-up structure that identifies, based on expert knowledge, biological components related with past and present changing conditions. It is structured in 5 stages that interact in an adaptive way: stage 1, in situ observations suggest changes could be happening; stage 2 explores available data that represent EI; stage 3, experts' workshops target the identification of the minimum set of variables needed to define EI, or the risk of losing EI; an optative stage 4, where deviance from EI, or risk of deviance, is statistically assessed; stage 5, findings are communicated to society. We demonstrate the framework effectiveness in three case studies, including a data poor situation, an area where lack of reference sites hampers the identification of historical changes, and an area where diffuse sources of stress make it difficult to identify simple relationships with of ecological responses. The future challenge is to operationalize the approach and trigger desirable society actions to strengthen a social-nature link.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Environmental Management 13 April 2018; Received in revised form by the journal 3 September 2018; Accepted 10 September 201

Dispersal Dynamics in a Wind-Driven Benthic System

Bedload and water column traps were used with simultaneous wind and water velocity measurements to study postlarval macrofaunal dispersal dynamics in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. A 12-fold range in mean wind condition resulted in large differences in water flow (12-fold), sediment flux (285-fold), and trap collection of total number of individuals (95-fold), number of the dominant infaunal organism (84-fold for the bivalve Macomona liliana), and number of species (4-fold). There were very strong, positive relationships among wind condition, water velocity, sediment flux, and postlarval dispersal, especially in the bedload. Local density in the ambient sediment was not a good predictor of dispersal. Results indicate that postlarval dispersal may influence benthic abundance pat- terns over a range of spatial scales

Changes in the location of biodiversity–ecosystem function hot spots across the seafloor landscape with increasing sediment nutrient loading

Declining biodiversity and loss of ecosystem function threatens the ability of habitats to contribute ecosystem services. However, the form of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) and how relationships change with environmental change is poorly understood. This limits our ability to predict the consequences of biodiversity loss on ecosystem function, particularly in real-world marine ecosystems that are species rich, and where multiple ecosystem functions are represented by multiple indicators. We investigated spatial variation in BEF relationships across a 300 000 m2 intertidal sandflat by nesting experimental manipulations of sediment pore water nitrogen concentration into sites with contrasting macrobenthic community composition. Our results highlight the significance of many different elements of biodiversity associated with environmental characteristics, community structure, functional diversity, ecological traits or particular species (ecosystem engineers) to important functions of coastal marine sediments (benthic oxygen consumption, ammonium pore water concentrations and flux across the sediment–water interface). Using the BEF relationships developed from our experiment, we demonstrate patchiness across a landscape in functional performance and the potential for changes in the location of functional hot and cold spots with increasing nutrient loading that have important implications for mapping and predicating change in functionality and the concomitant delivery of ecosystem services

ANALISIS PEMAHAMAN KONSEP MATEMATIKA SISWA DENGAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN PROBLEM BASED LEARNING PADA POKOK BAHASAN SEGITIGA (Study deskriptif di Kelas VII SMP Negeri 2 Plered Kab. Cirebon)

Anggun Maya Sari. NIM 59451058. “Analisis Pemahaman Konsep Matematika Siswa dengan Model Pembelajaran Problem Based Learning pada Pokok Bahasan Segitiga”. (Studi Deskriptif di Kelas VII SMP Negeri 2 Plered). Pembelajaran yang efektif adalah pembelajaran yang menyediakan kesempatan kepada siswa untuk belajar mandiri, sehingga dalam prosesnya siswa dapat memperoleh pemahaman dan pengetahuan dengan lebih mendalam. Akan tetapi proses kegiatan pembelajaran matematika yang berlangsung disekolah, pada umumnya guru hanya sekedar penyampai informasi tanpa mempertimbangkan seberapa jauh pemahaman siswa terhadap konsep matematika dari pokok bahasan segitiga yang disampaikan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah 1) mengetahui seberapa besar pemahaman konsep yang dimiliki peserta didik; 2) mengetahui factor pendukung dan penghambat peserta didik dalam memahami konsep yang diberikan; 3) mengetahui deskripsi aktivitas siswa dalam memahami konsep matematika melalui model pembelajaran Problem Based Learning; 4) mengetahui respon siswa setelah melaksanakan model pembelajaran Problem Based Learning; 5) mengetahui sejauhmana pemahaman konsep matematika siswa setelah mengikuti proses pembelajaran Problem Based Learning. Penerapan model pembelajaran Problem Based Learning (PBL) merupakan salah satu model pembelajaran yang dapat memberikan kondisi belajar aktif kepada siswa. Dengan diterapkannya pembelajaran matematika dengan model pembelajaran PBL, diharapkan dapat membantu siswa dalam memahami konsep matematika. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dan kuantitatif dengan metode deskriptif. Pengumpulan data menggunakan lembar observasi, pedoman wawancara, angket dan tes. Informan dalam penelitian ini adalah kelas VII yang sudah dibentuk kelompok kelas, yaitu VII A, VII D dan VII F. dengan menggunakan proportionate stratified random sampling, maka dari masingmasing kelompok kelas didapat 18 siswa sebagai informan penelitian. Berdasarkan dari hasil wawancara tentang siswa dalam pemahaman konsep matematika, diperoleh siswa masih kurang dan masih perlu banyak bimbingan. Aktivitas siswa selama pembelajaran melalui model pembelajaran PBL diperoleh dari hasil lembar observasi dengan nilai rata-rata dari semua aspek sebesar 54,39% yang termasuk dalam kategori sedang. Berdasarkan angket respon siswa setelah dilaksanakan model pembelajaran PBL termasuk dalam kategori baik dengan nilai rata-rata 76,44%. Pemahaman konsep matematika siswa setelah mengikuti proses pembelajaran dengan model pembelajaran PBL diperoleh siswa lebih rajin dalam mencari bahan untuk menyelesaikan soal-soal yang diberikan dan menambah pemahaman siswa mengenai konsep matematika, meski masih belum 100% benar, dan hasil tes didapat nilai rata-rata 39% yang termasuk dalam kategori sangat kurang. Kata Kunci: Pemahaman konsep matematika, Problem Based Learning, Segitig

The iBRA (implant breast reconstruction evaluation) study: protocol for a prospective multi-centre cohort study to inform the feasibility, design and conduct of a pragmatic randomised clinical trial comparing new techniques of implant-based breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) is the most commonly performed reconstructive procedure in the UK. The introduction of techniques to augment the subpectoral pocket has revolutionised the procedure, but there is a lack of high-quality outcome data to describe the safety or effectiveness of these techniques. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the best way of comparing treatments, but surgical RCTs are challenging. The iBRA (implant breast reconstruction evaluation) study aims to determine the feasibility, design and conduct of a pragmatic RCT to examine the effectiveness of approaches to IBBR. METHODS/DESIGN: The iBRA study is a trainee-led research collaborative project with four phases:Phase 1 - a national practice questionnaire (NPQ) to survey current practicePhase 2 - a multi-centre prospective cohort study of patients undergoing IBBR to evaluate the clinical and patient-reported outcomesPhase 3- an IBBR-RCT acceptability survey and qualitative work to explore patients' and surgeons' views of proposed trial designs and candidate outcomes.Phase 4 - phases 1 to 3 will inform the design and conduct of the future RCT All centres offering IBBR will be encouraged to participate by the breast and plastic surgical professional associations (Association of Breast Surgery and British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons). Data collected will inform the feasibility of undertaking an RCT by defining current practice and exploring issues surrounding recruitment, selection of comparator arms, choice of primary outcome, sample size, selection criteria, trial conduct, methods of data collection and feasibility of using the trainee collaborative model to recruit patients and collect data. DISCUSSION: The preliminary work undertaken within the iBRA study will determine the feasibility, design and conduct of a definitive RCT in IBBR. It will work with the trainee collaborative to build capacity by creating an infrastructure of research-active breast and plastic surgeons which will facilitate future high-quality research that will ultimately improve outcomes for all women seeking reconstructive surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN37664281

The Effect Of High Intensity Interval Run Training On Cross Sectional Area Of The Vastus Lateralis In Untrained College Students

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(1): 137-145, 2017 Aerobic cycling has been repeatedly shown to induce hypertrophy in skeletal muscle across a variety of populations, while there has been a lack of investigation into the impact of running upon hypertrophy. An increasingly popular model of aerobic exercise is high-intensity interval training (HIIT); in addition to its positive impact upon cardiovascular health, HIIT may be sufficient for inducing significant muscular hypertrophy. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the influence of a high-intensity interval running protocol upon hypertrophy of the vastus lateralis in an untrained, young population. Twelve recreationally active university students (Male: 2; Female: 10; 19.9±0.5 yr.; 169.8±1.9 cm; 63.8±2.3 kg; VO2max: 42.1±1.6 ml.kg-1min-1) completed 24.5±0.6 sessionsof high-intensity interval run training over 10 weeks. The protocol consisted of four sets of 4 minutes running at 90-95% HRmax followed by 3 minutes active rest at 70% HRmax. Relative and absolute aerobic capacity increased 5.2±2.2% and 6.0±2.3% respectively as a result of the intervention (p\u3c 0.05). Cross-sectional area (CSA) of the vastus lateralis was measured via panoramic ultrasound imaging pre- and post-intervention. Following the protocol, CSA of the intervention group was 10.6±2.7% greater (p\u3c 0.05), while that of the control group did not change. This is the first data to demonstrate hypertrophy of the vastus lateralis in a young population following a running protocol. These data support the existing body of evidence suggesting aerobic exercise to be an effective mode of improving cardiorespiratory fitness as well as increasing whole muscle size of the quadriceps

Motion of Contact Line of a Crystal Over the Edge of Solid Mask in Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth

Mathematical model that allows for direct tracking of the homoepitaxial crystal growth out of the window etched in the solid, pre-deposited layer on the substrate is described. The growth is governed by the normal (to the crystal-vapor interface) flux from the vapor phase and by the interface diffusion. The model accounts for possibly inhomogeneous energy of the mask surface and for strong anisotropies of crystal-vapor interfacial energy and kinetic mobility. Results demonstrate that the motion of the crystal-mask contact line slows down abruptly as radius of curvature of the mask edge approaches zero. Numerical procedure is suggested to overcome difficulties associated with ill-posedness of the evolution problem for the interface with strong energy anisotropy. Keywords: Thin films, epitaxy, MOCVD, surface diffusion, interface dynamics, contact lines, rough surfaces, wetting, regularization of ill-posed evolution problems.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures; to appear in Computational Materials Scienc

Experimenting with ecosystem interaction networks in search of threshold potentials in real-world marine ecosystems

Thresholds profoundly affect our understanding and management of ecosystem dynamics, but we have yet to develop practical techniques to assess the risk that thresholds will be crossed. Combining ecological knowledge of critical system interdependencies with a large-scale experiment, we tested for breaks in the ecosystem interaction network to identify threshold potential in real-world ecosystem dynamics. Our experiment with the bivalves Macomona liliana and Austrovenus stutchburyi on marine sandflats in New Zealand demonstrated that reductions in incident sunlight changed the interaction network between sediment biogeochemical fluxes, productivity, and macrofauna. By demonstrating loss of positive feedbacks and changes in the architecture of the network, we provide mechanistic evidence that stressors lead to break points in dynamics, which theory predicts predispose a system to a critical transition

Early detection of ecosystem regime shifts: A multiple method evaluation for management application

Critical transitions between alternative stable states have been shown to occur across an array of complex systems. While our ability to identify abrupt regime shifts in natural ecosystems has improved, detection of potential early-warning signals previous to such shifts is still very limited. Using real monitoring data of a key ecosystem component, we here apply multiple early-warning indicators in order to assess their ability to forewarn a major ecosystem regime shift in the Central Baltic Sea. We show that some indicators and methods can result in clear early-warning signals, while other methods may have limited utility in ecosystem-based management as they show no or weak potential for early-warning. We therefore propose a multiple method approach for early detection of ecosystem regime shifts in monitoring data that may be useful in informing timely management actions in the face of ecosystem change

A Model for Isotropic Crystal Growth from Vapor on a Patterned Substrate

We developed a consistent mathematical model for isotropic crystal growth on a substrate covered by the mask material with a periodic series of parallel long trenches where the substrate is exposed to the vapor phase. Surface diffusion and the flux of particles from vapor are assumed to be the main mechanisms of growth. A geometrical approach to the motion of crystal surface in two dimensions is adopted and nonlinear evolution equations are solved by a finite-difference method. The model allows the direct computation of the crystal surface shape, as well as the study of the effects due to mask regions of effectively nonzero thickness. As in experiments, lateral overgrowth of crystal onto the mask and enhanced growth in the region near the contact of the crystal and the mask is found, as well as the comparable crystal shapes. The growth rates in vertical and lateral directions are investigated.Comment: 21 pages; submitted to the Journal of Crystal Growt