Resolved Imaging of the HD191089 Debris Disc

Two thirds of the F star members of the 12 Myr old Beta Pictoris Moving Group (BPMG) show significant excess emission in the mid-infrared, several million years after the expected dispersal of the protoplanetary disc. Theoretical models of planet formation suggest that this peak in the mid-infrared emission could be due to the formation of Pluto-sized bodies in the disc, which ignite the collisional cascade and enhance the production of small dust. Here we present resolved mid-infrared imaging of the disc of HD191089 (F5V in the BPMG) and consider its implications for the state of planet formation in this system. HD191089 was observed at 18.3 microns using T-ReCS on Gemini South and the images were compared to models of the disc to constrain the radial distribution of the dust. The emission observed at 18.3 microns is shown to be significantly extended beyond the PSF at a position angle of 80 degrees. This is the first time dust emission has been resolved around HD191089. Modelling indicates that the emission arises from a dust belt from 28-90 AU, inclined at 35 degrees from edge on with very little emission from the inner 28AU of the disc, indicating the presence of an inner cavity. The steep slope of the inner edge is more consistent with truncation by a planet than with ongoing stirring. A tentative brightness asymmetry F(W)/F(E)=0.80+/-0.12 (1.8 sigma) between the two sides of the disc could be evidence for perturbations from a massive body on an eccentric orbit in the system.Comment: 11 Pages Accepted to MNRA

Density dependence and the control of helminth parasites.

1. The transient dynamics and stability of a population are determined by the interplay between species density, its spatial distribution and the positive and negative density-dependent processes regulating population growth. 2. Using the human-helminth parasite system as an example, we propose that the life-stage upon which negative density dependence operates will influence the rate of host reinfection following anthelmintic chemotherapy, and the likely success of control programmes. 3. Simple deterministic models are developed which highlight how a parasite species whose population size is down-regulated by density-dependent establishment will reinfect a host population at a faster rate than a species with density-dependent parasite fecundity. 4. Different forms of density dependence can produce the same equilibrium behaviour but different transient dynamics. Under-representing the nature and magnitude of density-dependent mechanisms, and in particular those operating upon establishing life-stages, may cause the resilience of the parasite population to a control perturbation to be underestimated

Embodied Institutions and Epistemic Exclusions: Affect in the Academy

This paper explores the intersection between affect, emotion, social imaginaries, and institutions through the lens of epistemic power in the academy. It argues that attending to this intersection is critical for a fuller understanding of how affective and emotional dynamics can assist to entrench, but also disrupt, asymmetries of epistemic privilege that cut across lines of race, sex, and other markers of social difference. As part of this discussion the paper reflects on the possibility of intervening in dominant social imaginaries that become sedimented in the routine operations of the modern university, and which produce affective ecologies that sustain epistemic exclusions within academic institutions

Political participation in Kitchener-Waterloo: A spatial analysis of the 1993 federal election (Ontario)

This study examines political participation in the 1993 federal election in Kitchener- Waterloo. Voter turnout is modeled at the polling division level using statistical analysis with spatial diagnostics. This study is different from other Canadian research since it uses a fine scale spatial unit and it explores the geographical aspect of political participation. The findings confirm results from other studies as well as showing that geography plays a small but significant role in the decision to vote. The results of the statistical analysis show that polling divisions are appropriate spatial units for the examination of political participation. Demographics, political motivation, space, and voter disaffection are shown to be significant determinants of participation at the urban level. GIS and spatial statistics are used extensively and their application to political analysis is discussed

The Sympathetic Imagination: Recognition, Reciprocity, and Difference.

In light of the limitations of top-down measures to adequately address the injustices that are suffered by devalued social identities, this thesis examines the sympathetic imagination as a resource for achieving recognition of racial and sexual difference. Adam Smith’s rich and sophisticated account of sympathy in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) is central to this project. Smith claims that our capacity to imaginatively adopt others’ standpoints and to be emotionally affected by their experiences is what binds individuals together as moral agents. Smith acknowledges that the extent to which identify with others’ experiences is often influenced by a lack of understanding, bias and prejudice. Hence, if sympathy is to produce moral behaviour, it must be harnessed to an informed and reflective imaginative exercise. Harmonious social communities in Smith’s view are underpinned by reciprocal exercises of imaginative perspective-taking between individuals, wherein each person strives to grasp the other’s point of view, and to critically scrutinise their response to the other’s feelings. Given the general plausibility of Smith’s naturalistic moral theory, this thesis analyses the massive failures of sympathy that mark contemporary societies, with reference to the concept of the social imaginary. I suggest that the dominant social imaginary of a society has the capacity to systematically undercut fellow-feeling with the experiences of identities that are prevented from shaping prevailing values, norms and meanings, owing to their membership within a marginalised and devalued group. It achieves this by structuring implicit and widely held assumptions about different social identities that exclusively reflect the perspectives of privileged groups, and which render certain possibilities inconceivable or implausible. This research discusses the value and limitations of Smith’s appeal to a form of critical self-regulation as a means of repairing the failures of sympathy engendered by dominant imaginings of sexual and racial difference. This discussion draws attention to the important role played by informal, everyday embodied encounters with others, in addition to institutional structures and bottom up initiatives in facilitating sympathetic identification between privileged and devalued identities

Can field-based mosquito feeding assays be used for evaluating transmission-blocking interventions?

A recent meta-analysis of mosquito feeding assays to determine the Plasmodium falciparum transmission potential of naturally infected gametocyte carriers highlighted considerable variation in transmission efficiency between assay methodologies and between laboratories. This begs the question as to whether mosquito feeding assays should be used for the evaluation of transmission-reducing interventions in the field and whether these field-based mosquito assays are currently standardized sufficiently to enable accurate evaluations. Here, we address biological and methodological reasons for the observed variations, discuss whether these preclude the use of field-based mosquito feeding assays in field evaluations of transmission-blocking interventions, and propose how we can maximize the precision of estimates. Altogether, we underscore the significant advantages of field-based mosquito feeding assays in basic malaria research and field trials

A Proposal to Implement Assertive Community Treatment Into a Primary Care Shelter Clinic

Individuals who are experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness have a difficult time accessing healthcare systems. Without mental health treatment and stable housing, individuals develop multiple needs that must be addressed during an individual visit. Without treatment for mental health symptoms, individuals may experience a negative impact on their quality of life and the ability to get basic needs met. Community organizations have an obligation to provide integrated care with a goal to improve overall health for this population. As nurse leaders there is an opportunity to be advocates and implement innovative ideas to improve care. In a large adult men’s shelter clinic, a nurse manager developed a proposal to implement Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services within a primary care shelter clinic. This proposal was written to support the shelter staff who reported an increased need for mental health services among residents living within the shelter. After researching the grant proposal process for ACT, requirements for ACT services, and the benefits, it was determined that the shelter clinic would not be able to accommodate an entire ACT team; it could still provide added mental health services to improve overall health to individuals experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness residing within the shelter. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Care provided the framework as the human need to belong is a core concept in providing care to marginalized groups of people. This project supports the importance of providing integrated care to build relationships that can improve engagement

Identifying Opportunities to Address Issues of Marine Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation

The aim of this report is to conduct a global assessment of marine fisheries and biodiversity conservation in order to identify opportunities for The MacArthur Foundation to address issues relating to marine fisheries and biodiversity conservation. By looking at 19 Large Marine Ecosystems Currents in five mega-regions of the world – Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and the Polar Regions – the report identifies high-priority current and future challenges and changes facing marine fisheries in each of these megaregions. The report also provides 14 case studies illustrating highly successful solutions strategies and approaches that have proven effective in practice. Two global matrices – one identifying organizations and funders working in the regions, and one identifying 56 successful cases in the marine fisheries sector – are provided to further inform the Foundation as it considers where opportunity and capacity exists for leveraging future support