Spiders as surrogate species in ecological monitoring, habitat classification and reserve selection : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Ecology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The use of invertebrates in the monitoring of terrestrial ecosystems was investigated using spiders as a focal group. In a review of previous literature, spiders were found to meet the majority of criteria required of suitable ecological indicators, including high diversity and abundance, a widespread distribution, easy sampling and sorting, relatively low random fluctuation in population sizes and community composition, a range of dispersal abilities, measurable response to habitat change and representation of other taxa. The main weaknesses of spiders as ecological indicators were the lack of taxonomic expertise and sparse knowledge of baseline biology. However, these disadvantages could be rectified and it was concluded that spiders are suitable for further investigation as ecological indicators, involving field trials and hypothesis testing. The spider communities in the litter, herb and shrub layer of eight sites representing four habitat types within a forest successional series were sampled in Pouiatoa State Forest in Northern Taranaki. There were no distinct trends in spider richness or abundance across the successional series. However, spider species and family composition both reflected the successional stage from which they were taken. Site classifications using DCA and cluster analysis were similar when using either plant or spider data. Spider communities demonstrated potential for use in habitat classification of terrestrial ecosystems. Spiders and seven other ground-active invertebrate groups were sampled with pitfall traps from fourteen forest remnants within the Rangitikei Ecological Region to test whether spiders were able to act as indicators of plant and invertebrate diversity. Within-site richness (α-diversity) of spiders was strongly correlated with that of all other invertebrates combined, but spiders were not good predictors of between-site richness (²- diversity) of all other invertebrates. Correlation between the α- and β-diversities of plants and invertebrates were low, indicating that maximising plant diversity in reserve selection might not maximise invertebrate diversity. It is recommended that ground-active invertebrates be included in surveys of potential forest reserves. Spiders are a useful surrogate group for invertebrate communities and could be more widely used in the assessment, monitoring and management of terrestrial ecosystems

Calorimeter measures high nuclear heating rates and their gradients across a reactor test hole

Pedestal-type calorimeter measures gamma-ray heating rates from 0.5 to 7.0 watts per gram of aluminum. Nuclear heating rate is a function of cylinder temperature change, measured by four chromel-alumel thermocouples attached to the calorimeter, and known thermoconductivity of the tested material

To What Extent Does Police Occupational Culture Impact on the Social and Domestic Lives of Police Officers

Since the establishment of the new police service in 1829 there has been much research in to the influence of police-culture on the cognitive and behavioural responses of police officers. This article seeks to take a more expansive view of police occupational culture by discussing the extent to which it has an impact, not only within the occupational environment but furthermore on the social and domestic lives of police officers. This research has reviewed the literature surrounding police culture and the occupational impacts of policing on domestic and social life. By adopting a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews, it analyses the extent to which police culture can be seen to impact on the lives of police officers. It concludes by suggesting that a larger scale study in this area may be beneficial in order to create a more comprehensive view of the extensive impacts of police culture both inside and outside the occupational environment

High Times: An Ethnography of Young Adult Drug Use

This research explores the phenomenon of ‘legal highs’ or Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), directing substantial focus towards the exploration of user attraction. Whilst legal high research is expanding, the topic of legal highs still remains a relatively under-researched topic. In particular, research concerning the user is in short supply, as policy makers remain detached from the importance of understanding the attraction for users (Winstock and Ramsey, 2010). Therefore, this paper attempts to capitalise in the expansion of this knowledge and discover what reasons users attribute for the use of these psychoactive substances. A comprehensive review of the current literature has attributed the rise in use to predominantly two significant factors, ‘legality’ and ‘availability’. Although existing literature identifies legality as a secondary motivating factor, this paper questions whether its impact is somewhat underplayed throughout previous research

A Consultation on Higher Education in Africa

Reviews universities in English-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Includes results of meetings with university leaders, government officials, researchers, teachers, students, and donor agency representatives in Africa, Europe, and North America

Lenguaje colorido en de Raptv Proserpinae de Claudiano

The De Raptu Proserpinae, like much late antique poetry, is highly visual, and contains an abundance of colour imagery. This article argues that the use of colour terms to depict light and dark should be analysed systematically, within a holistic reading of the poem as a text about the recurrent chaos of the underworld. It demonstrates that this language reveals the driving theme of the poem to be the ability of Dis both to stain and make pale the people, places, and objects upon which his power of chthonic chaos is inflicted.El De Raptu Proserpinae, como mucha de la poesía de la Antigüedad tardía, es altamente visual, y contiene abundantes imágenes de color. Este artículo argumenta que el uso de términos de color para representar la luz y la oscuridad debe ser analizado sistemáticamente, dentro de una lectura holística del poema como un texto sobre el caos recurrente del inframundo. Este lenguaje revela que el tema principal del poema es la capacidad de Dite tanto de manchar como de hacer palidecer a las personas, los lugares y los objetos sobre los que obra su poder del caos ctónico

ONLINE LEARNING IN A RURAL SCHOOL SETTING

Background: Online learning is a growing delivery model for education; however, there exists a void in the literature regarding the adoption of online learning models in rural K-12 school systems. Purpose: To provide pertinent data to the rural school administrator so that they may make an informed decision in regards to the potential implementation of asynchronous online learning within their school and/or district. Literature Review: Explores the history, impact on student outcomes, graduation rates, cost effectiveness and student engagement factors in regards to online learning. Research Design: A quantitative ex-post facto, causal-comparative design was used while embracing Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Data Collection and Analysis: Student achievement data were collected from a rural high school where some students participated in an asynchronous online learning environment while other students participated in the traditional face-to-face environment. Results: Students participating in asynchronous online learning environments performed below students in traditional learning environments for all four subjects (a) English Language Arts, (b) mathematics, (c) science, and (d) social studies, on both metrics, test score and percentile rank. Conclusion: Although this study would probably not result in the exclusion of online learning in rural settings, it may assist school boards and principals to consider the inclusion of online learning carefully, before extensive financial input occurs. The results also assist with identifying key pitfalls to avoid when establishing online learning environments

Ethylene seems required for the berry development and ripening in grape, a non-climacteric fruit

While the grape has been classified as a non-climacteric fruit whose ripening is thought to be ethylene independent, we show here that a transient increase of endogenous ethylene production occurs just before veraison (i.e. inception of ripening). We observed that ethylene perception, at this time, is required for at least the increase of berry diameter, the decrease of berry acidity and anthocyanin accumulation in the ripening berries; these latter experiments were performed with 1-methylcyclopropene, a specific inhibitor of ethylene receptors. The potential roles of ethylene in berry development and ripening are discussed