The use of time and energy by aerial-feeding birds

The breeding and feeding ecology of the Swallow, Hirundo rustica, and the Sand Martin, R. riparia, in Central Scotland is described, with particular reference to the constraints imposed by environmental conditions. The time and energy investment in reproduction was examined for all stages of the breeding season in a wide variety of environmental conditions. Brood sizes were manipulated to change the investment of each parent in the brood. The D2018 technique was used to measure flight costs (0.0848 kcal g-l h-1 for the Swallow, 0.1288 kcal g-l h-1 for the Sand Martin) and the rate at which each species collected food under a variety of conditions was examined (mean values were 0.14 assimilable kcal min-1 for the Swallow, 0.05 assimilable kcal min-1 for the Sand Martin). These data, along with measurements of the nestlings' daily energy requirements, were used to investigate energy balance and the consequences for the timing and level of each breeding attempt. It is suggested that the Swallow lays later than the Sand Martin because (a) it takes larger insects and does not lay until these become abundant and (b) the female Swallow incubates alone whereas both Sand Martin sexes incubate, hence the Swallow defers laying until the risk of encountering bad weather during incubation is low. On 65% of the days on which measurements were made Sand Martins were unable to feed adequately a brood of five or more nestlings (31% of days for the Swallow) because foraging rates were depressed by bad weather. The risk of encountering bad weather is thus likely to limit the upper level of brood size. Energetics data are used to show that parents feeding nestlings maximise the net intake rate of energy rather than that of nutrients (protein, sulphur or calcium). The Swallow's diet includes nonpreferred small items, especially when these are relatively abundant, even when the preferred large items are available - contrary to predictions of optimal foraging models. It is shown, however, that foraging effiency is high when small items are taken. In agreement with central place foraging theory the bolus size of Sand Martins is mainly determined by the distance travelled to the feeding site. This is not always the case, however, since patch and prey quality and the search methods employed have a greater influence on the bolus size of the Swallow. Overall, the study allowed the scope for breeding activity for hirundines under different conditions to be defined and showed the importance of each species' reproductive and foraging strategies in optimising the number of offspring produced

'Bottom dog men' : disability, social welfare and advocacy in the Scottish coalfields in the interwar years, 1918–1939

This article builds on and connects with recent research on workmen's compensation and disability focussing on the Scottish coalfields between the wars. It draws upon a range of primary sources including coal company accident books, court cases and trade union records to analyse efforts to define and redefine disability, examining the language deployed and the agency of workers and their advocates. It is argued here that the workmen’s compensation system associated disability with restricted functionality relating to work tasks and work environments. Disability became more visible and more closely monitored and this was a notably contested and adversarial terrain in Scotland in the Depression, where employers, workers and their collective organisations increasingly deployed medical expertise to support their cases regarding working and disabled bodies. In Scotland, the miners' trade unions emerged as key advocates for the disabled

Does wealth = sensitivity?: Connections between financial stress and parenting behavior

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1206/thumbnail.jp

Healthiness, through the material culture of the late iron age and roman large urban-type settlements of South-East Britain.

It has recently been recognised that concepts of health contain multiple dimensions. One area that has received little attention in archaeology is that of health and well-being, so this research seeks to contribute to this area of study. It does so by investigating healthiness in the late Iron Age and Romano-British periods. The literature review explores current thinking around this topic, and confirms that aspects of good health mattered to people in the past. The research explores small finds that are traditionally associated with personal use (mirrors, combs, glass unguent containers, bronze cosmetic grinders and other additional toilet items) from the main urban-type settlements of south-east Britain. The investigation included collecting data concerning the sites, contexts, dates, materials, types, forms, colours and decoration ofthese objects, and any associated archaeological remains found with these items. Given the social nature ofthis work, a contextual approach was central to the design. The research takes an interpretive interdisciplinary position that draws on theoretical models based on the self and other, the body and face, the senses and perception, as well as concepts from material cultural studies, such as agency. Patterns seen in the data-set coupled with theoretical frameworks, and understandings of late Iron Age and Roman life, are brought together, and offer a means of interpreting how and why some of these small finds contributed to practices ofmaintaining good health. These proposals include healthiness in personhood and domestic and public life, in religion and the control of healthiness

Millennial midwifery: Online connectivity in midwifery education

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore graduate midwives’ experiences of completing a Bachelor of Midwifery online theory course and how that experience led to preparation for practice and future employment as a midwife. Methods: This study used a questionnaire, with the core research design having a quantitative component using open-ended questions, via the use of an electronic platform. Results: The main themes emerging from the data that the graduates considered important issues were flexibility, isolation and lack of support. Conclusion: Course completion, experience of online learning/preparation for practice, and recommendations for improvement were identified as areas of importance for graduates of the online midwifery theory course

Aboriginal Community Engagement in Primary Schooling: Promoting Learning through a Cross-Cultural Lens

This article reports on action research conducted at a primary school in rural New South Wales, Australia. The research responded to an expressed school aspiration to foster greater understanding of local Aboriginal culture, historical perspectives and knowledge systems within the school. An exploratory model was developed using a mixed methods approach to investigate non-Aboriginal teacher perceptions and self-efficacy with teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content specified in the Australian Curriculum. A Bush Tucker Garden was established as a ‘Pathway of Knowledge’ acting as a vehicle for collaboration between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders. Through their participation in this project the teachers were brought together with local Gumbaynggirr Elders, creating a space for the sharing of social capital. Teacher cultural knowledge and understanding was strengthened, enriching the student’s learning experience. The findings are of relevance to primary school teachers, curriculum stakeholders and education providers in the broader field of Aboriginal education

Can nurses rise to the public health challenge? How a novel solution in nurse education can address this contemporary question.

This paper raises the problem of how improvements in health outcomes, a key component in many governments' strategies, can be achieved. The work highlights a novel undergraduate educational approach which offers solutions to public health challenges within nursing. Against the backdrop of one UK university institution it discusses approaches that can guide nursing students towards a deeper understanding and engagement within the principles of public health. It then proposes how nurses can use their learning to become leaders of health improvement