Guano morphology has the potential to inform conservation strategies in British bats

Bats are primary consumers of nocturnal insects, disperse nutrients across landscapes, and are excellent bioindicators of an ecosystem’s health, however four of the seventeen Great British species are listed as declining. In this study we aim to investigate the link between bat guano morphology and diet, specifically looking at the ability to predict 1) species, 2) dietary guild, and 3) bat size, using guano morphology alone. Guano from 16 bat species sampled from across Great Britain were analysed to determine various morphological metrics. These data were coupled with diet data obtained by an extensive literature review. It was found that guano morphology overlapped too much to make predictions on the species of bat which deposited the guano, however, in some cases, it could be used to indicate the dietary guild to which the bat belonged. In general, guano morphology seems more correlated to diet than species. This enables the identification of the most important prey taxa within a local environment; a crucial step for informing conservation strategies

INVESTIGATION OF THE LOW-SUBSONIC STABILITY AND CONTROL CHARACTERISTICS OF A 0.34 -SCALE FREE-FLYING MODEL OF A MODIFIED HALF-CONE REENTRY VEHICLE

Low subsonic stability and control of a 0.34-scale free flying model of a half cone reentry vehicl

PIA : more accurate taxonomic assignment of metagenomic data demonstrated on sedaDNA from the North sea

Assigning metagenomic reads to taxa presents significant challenges. Existing approaches address some issues, but are mostly limited to metabarcoding or optimized for microbial data. We present PIA (Phylogenetic Intersection Analysis): a taxonomic binner that works from standard BLAST output while mitigating key effects of incomplete databases. Benchmarking against MEGAN using sedaDNA suggests that, while PIA is less sensitive, it can be more accurate. We use known sequences to estimate the accuracy of PIA at up to 96% when the real organism is not represented in the database. For ancient DNA, where taxa of interest are frequently over-represented domesticates or absent, poorly-known organisms, more accurate assignment is critical, even at the expense of sensitivity. PIA offers an approach to objectively filter out false positive hits without the need to manually remove taxa and so make presuppositions about past environments and their palaeoecologies

U.S. Marine Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars Diagnosed with PTSD: Perceived Employment Barriers Faced by Marines with PTSD Upon Discharge

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived employment barriers faced by Marines with PTSD upon discharge. Many such affected Marines were discharged from the Marine Corps and entered the civilian job market with ambiguous expectations. Through this qualitative study, the researcher examined the experiences of 11 U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton, California, who were all diagnosed with PTSD upon their discharge from military service. The findings revealed negative issues in current programs designed to help Marines and other military personnel transition to civilian life. Participant interviews revealed the following themes: (a) civilian employers did not understand military personnel, (b) civilian employers consider Marines a liability, (c) PTSD effects on finding employment, (d) PTSD can be seen by others, and (e) civilians are intimidated by Marines. Marine Corps training programs designed to aid discharging disabled veterans need enhancements as communication efforts between Marines and civilian employers lack cohesion. Rumors and misconceptions between Marines and their civilian employers have contributed to false speculation, which has led to negative employment outcomes. Conjecture regarding veterans with PTSD needs to be better understood, as the current states of concern and avoidance have resulted in negative employment conclusions

Pilot cryo tunnel: Attachments, seals, and insulation

Several different tests are described which simulated the actual configuration of a cryogenic wind tunnel operating at pressures up to 5 atmospheres (507 kPa) and temperatures from -320 F (78K) to 120 F (322K) in order to determine compatible bolting, adequate sealing, and effective insulating materials. The evaluation of flange attachments (continuous threaded studs) considered bolting based on compatible flanges, attachment materials, and prescribed bolt elongations. Various types of seals and seal configurations were studied to determine suitability and reusability under the imposed pressure and temperature loadings. The temperature profile was established for several materials used for structural supports