Responses of king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus adults and chicks to two food-related odours

Increasing evidence suggests that penguins are sensitive to dimethyl sulphide (DMS), a scented airborne compound that a variety of marine animals use to find productive areas of the ocean where prey is likely to be found. Here we present data showing that king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus are also sensitive to DMS. We deployed DMS on a lake near a king penguin colony at Ratmanoff beach in the Kerguelen archipelago. We also presented DMS to ‘sleeping’ adults on the beach. On the lake, penguins responded to the DMS deployments by swimming more, while on the beach, penguins twitched their heads and woke up more for the DMS than for the control presentations. Interestingly, penguins did not respond to cod liver oil deployments on the lake; mirroring at-sea studies of other penguins. Although at-sea studies are needed to confirm that king penguins use DMS as a surface cue that informs them of productivity under the water, this study is an important first step in understanding how these birds locate prey over significant distances

Movement Ecology of Philippine Birds of Prey

Movement ecology is an emerging paradigm important to conservation biology and to the protection of global biodiversity. I used two common, but poorly known Philippine birds of prey as study tools in understanding movement ecology. One species is the migratory grey-faced buzzard (Butastur indicus), a raptor that which visits the islands in large numbers in winter. The other is the resident Philippine serpent eagle (Spilornis holospilus) which lives there at relatively high population density year-round. I used migration data at two terrestrial hawkwatch sites to assess how weather correlates influenced the movement behaviors of grey-faced buzzards. The grey-faced buzzard was the second most common raptor migrant using the Philippines as part of their migration route. My models show that they are more likely observed, either initiating or completing over-water crossings, in headwinds. I also created spatial models to understand how grey-faced buzzards overcome movement barriers (i.e. ocean). Modeled buzzard routes across the Philippines were between 1,582 and 2,970 km, and all repeatedly crossed water. Some of the routes overlapped at long and unavoidable over-water crossings. My models suggest that the optimal strategy for these birds is to find the shortest route to an exit point with the greatest possible access to stopover habitats and fewest over-water crossings under wind resistance. Additionally, I used road survey data to determine habitat associations of Philippine serpent eagle abundance across central and eastern Mindanao. My model showed that detection probability for the Philippine serpent eagle is relatively low, and the probability of occupancy was highest in near-pristine forests, especially low elevation dipterocarp forests. My road surveys helped establish the beginning of the breeding season for the Philippine serpent eagle. They also provided initial information on wintering habitats for grey-faced buzzards. This work is cutting-edge ecology and also provided natural history information about species for which there is almost no existing knowledge

Multi-metal contamination of a calcic cambisol by fallout from a lead-recycling plant

The present study deals with the impact of a lead-recycling plant on metal accumulation in soils, evaluated by a global pedological analysis. This general approach can be used on various contaminated sites to evaluate impact of an anthropogenic activity and inform on metal origin and behavior. A soil profile collected in the vicinity of a lead-recycling plant in operation for 40 years was studied. Correlations between major and trace elements highlighted different patterns of metals according to their origins. Two groups of metals were identified: (i) Pb, Sb, Sn, As, Cu and Zn of anthropogenic origin and (ii) Ni and Cr of natural origin. The results showed that Pb, Sb and Sn presented the highest relative contamination followed by Cu, As and Zn. Moreover, Pb and Sb migrated most along the profile at an estimated rate of 1.5 cm y−1, followed by Sn, then Zn, Cu and finally As. Sequential extractions showed that all metals were mainly solubilized by reduction and therefore estimated to be bound to iron oxides, except lead which was rather in the acid-soluble fraction in the contaminated horizons. Furthermore, high levels of lead were found in water-soluble and exchangeable fractions (4.2 mg kg−1) suggesting the occurrence of lead transfer towards the trophic chain

The life story as a device of characterization in Joyce Cary\u27s First Trilogy

I have attempted to examine the life story as one of Joyce Cary\u27s devices of characterization in his First Trilogy. Each is a written autobiography of one character. My thesis opens with Cary\u27s comments about his original conception of the trilogy and his estimation of its success

Sex and hand differences in circadian wrist activity are independent from sex and hand differences in 2D:4D

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated the relationship between patterns of sex and hand differences in circadian wrist activity and digit ratio, a marker for prenatal androgen exposure. If the contribution of prenatal androgen exposure to sex differences in digit ratio underlies sex differences in circadian wrist activity, we predict that patterns of wrist activity will be correlated with digit ratio.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Bilateral wrist activity of male and female college students was measured for three consecutive days. Digit ratio was obtained from photocopy measurements of the second and fourth fingers of each subject.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Males had lower digit ratios with more pronounced differences on the right hand. Female acrophase occurred earlier than male acrophase. There was more activity in the right hand and right hand activity peaked before the left. Digit ratio was not correlated with any measure of wrist activity. An analysis of activity by age revealed that younger female students exhibited more male-like activity patterns.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Sex and hand differences for digit ratio and acrophase replicated previous findings. The lack of correlation between digit ratio and patterns of wrist activity suggests that sexually dimorphic circadian activity develops independently from the mechanisms of hormone exposure that cause sex differences in digit ratio.</p

Healthy Options: A Community-Based Program to Address Food Insecurity

The objectives of this study are to better understand the lived experience of food insecurity in our community and to examine the impact of a community-based program developed to increase access to local, healthy foods. Participants were given monthly vouchers to spend at local farmers’ markets and invited to engage in a variety of community activities. Using a community-based participatory research framework, mixed methods were employed. Survey results suggest that most respondents were satisfied with the program and many increased their fruit and vegetable consumption. However, over 40% of respondents reported a higher level of stress over having enough money to buy nutritious meals at the end of the program. Photovoice results suggest that the program fostered cross-cultural exchanges, and offered opportunities for social networking. Building upon the many positive outcomes of the program, community partners are committed to using this research to further develop policy-level solutions to food insecurity

Assessing the Effectiveness of the MOVER Program for Treating Attention Deficit in Children (MOVER: Movement Opportunities Through Vestibular Engagement Rhythm)

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of participation in a movement- to music program on the attention span of elementary school-aged children who have attention deficits. The hypothesis was that participants would demonstrate improved attention on the Test of Sustained Selective Attention (TOSSA) (Kovacs, 2015). Methods: This quantitative study involved nine children who participated in four movement-to-music sessions with a staggered stop over a period of six weeks. The study incorporated a single group pre-test/post-test design, and a non-parametric Sign Test was utilized to analyze data from the TOSSA subcategories of concentration, detection, response inhibition, and test-taking time tolerance. Supporting qualitative data was also collected through peer debriefing, field notes, and a reflexive journal. Results: TOSSA results found that the movement-to-music program can significantly improve the attention of children who have attention deficits. Discussion: This study demonstrated positive implications for occupational therapy practice and for policy change regarding the inclusion of vestibular/proprioceptive movement opportunities available for children, especially those who have attention deficits

Family Structure and Children’s Schooling in sub-Saharan Africa

To examine the effect of family structure on children’s schooling in sub-Saharan Africa, we employed Multi-level Modeling to analyse data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 26 African Countries. In general, both polygyny and presence of a husband in the home detract from children’s education. After controlling for maternal education, childrenof single, never married mothers and those who are divorced or separated have educational disadvantage, suggesting the importance of maternal education for children’s educational outcomes. Males are more likely than females to have higher educational attainment, especially those in polygynous families. It is recommended that female education in general and the education of the girl-child in particular, be encouraged as a way of discouraging such negative cultural attitudes and practices as polygyny and bias in favour of boys’ education.Keywords: Monogamy, Polygyny, Marital Status, Multi-level Regression, Patriarchy

Neuroendocrine Reactivity During the Naturalistic Stress of an Outward Bound Course

Recent studies have found that subjects with high hostility propensity have greater catecholamine (CA) and cortisol (Cf) levels during laboratory stressors. The present investigation sought to determine if similar patterns would be found in the naturalistic setting of an Outward Bound experience, and if high versus low aerobic fitness would influence CA and CT levels in this setting. Sixty-six individuals volunteered for the study from participants who had registered for a nine-day \u27adult intensive\u27 Outward Bound course. Thirty-one subjects were selected from those who volunteered. The Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory was completed by each subject prior to arriving for their course and aerobic fitness estimates were completed within the first six hours of the course using the University of Houston Non-Exercise Test Stress levels were quantified by urinary CA and CT excretion. Three to five hour urine samples were collected for the following activities: rockclimbing/rappelling, whitewater canoeing, ropes course, off-trail backpacking, commuting from airport to base camp and back, and one night-time sleep sample. At the beginning of each activity period, all subjects voided and at the end of the three to five hour period urine was collected, measured for total volume, and a sample was taken and ftw.en within two hours of collection. The urine was assayed by high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection to determine levels of excreted epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol (CT). The CA and CT were then quantified by mg of creatinine. Of the 31 subjects (14 females and 17 males), nine were classfied as high hostile (HiHo) and 22 as average to low hostile (LoHo). The classifications for aerobic fitness were: 26 average to high fit (HF) with an estimated max V02 greater than 39 ml/kg for women and 46 ml/kg for men, and five low fit (LF) subjects with lower estimated V02 max. The data were analyzed by the two levels of hostility and two levels of aerobic fitness using univariate ANOVA with repeated measures across activity periods. The analysis of hostility revealed significant CT excretion differences between hostility levels for four of the nine activity periods with the LoHo subjects excreting higher CT levels. The four activities where this was found were: off-trail backpacking, (F=4.74,

Density hardening plasticity and mechanical aging of silica glass under pressure: A Raman spectroscopic study

In addition of a flow, plastic deformation of structural glasses (in particular amorphous silica) is characterized by a permanent densification. Raman spectroscopic estimators are shown to give a full account of the plastic behavior of silica under pressure. While the permanent densification of silica has been widely discussed in terms of amorphous-amorphous transition, from a plasticity point of view, the evolution of the residual densification with the maximum pressure of a pressure cycle can be discussed as a density hardening phenomenon. In the framework of such a mechanical aging effect, we propose that the glass structure could be labelled by the maximum pressure experienced by the glass and that the saturation of densification could be associated with the densest packing of tetrahedra only linked by their vertices