Spring and surface water quality of the Cyprus ophiolites

A survey of surface, spring and borehole waters associated with the ophiolite rocks of Cyprus shows five broad water types (1) Mg-HCO3, (2) Na-SO4-Cl-HCO3, (3) Na-Ca-Cl-SO4-OH-CO3, (4) Na-Cl-SO4 and (5) Ca-SO4. The waters represent a progression in chemical reactivity from surface waters that evolve within a groundwater setting due to hydrolysis of the basic/ultrabasic rock as modified by CO2-weathering. An increase in salinity is also observed which is due to mixing with a saline end-member (modified sea-water) and dissolution of gypsum/anhydrite. In some cases, the waters have pH values greater than 11. Such high values are associated with low temperature serpentinisation reactions. The system is a net sink for CO2. This feature is related not only to the hydrolysis of the primary minerals in the rock, but also to CaCO3 or Ca-Mg-CO3 solubility controls. Under hyperalkaline conditions, virtually all the carbon dioxide is lost from the water due to the sufficiently high calcium levels and carbonate buffering is then insignificant. Calcium sulphate solubility controls may also be operative when calcium and sulphate concentrations are particularly high

Citizen participation in post-"Unicity" Winnipeg

iv, 13 p

r-Java 2.0: the nuclear physics

[Aims:] We present r-Java 2.0, a nucleosynthesis code for open use that performs r-process calculations as well as a suite of other analysis tools. [Methods:] Equipped with a straightforward graphical user interface, r-Java 2.0 is capable of; simulating nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE), calculating r-process abundances for a wide range of input parameters and astrophysical environments, computing the mass fragmentation from neutron-induced fission as well as the study of individual nucleosynthesis processes. [Results:] In this paper we discuss enhancements made to this version of r-Java, paramount of which is the ability to solve the full reaction network. The sophisticated fission methodology incorporated into r-Java 2.0 which includes three fission channels (beta-delayed, neutron-induced and spontaneous fission) as well as computation of the mass fragmentation is compared to the upper limit on mass fission approximation. The effects of including beta-delayed neutron emission on r-process yield is studied. The role of coulomb interactions in NSE abundances is shown to be significant, supporting previous findings. A comparative analysis was undertaken during the development of r-Java 2.0 whereby we reproduced the results found in literature from three other r-process codes. This code is capable of simulating the physical environment of; the high-entropy wind around a proto-neutron star, the ejecta from a neutron star merger or the relativistic ejecta from a quark nova. As well the users of r-Java 2.0 are given the freedom to define a custom environment. This software provides an even platform for comparison of different proposed r-process sites and is available for download from the website of the Quark-Nova Project: http://quarknova.ucalgary.ca/Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, 1 tabl

Beginning, persisting, and ceasing to play: A Stage uses and gratifications approach to multiplayer video games

Scholars maintain media use is purposeful and the key to understanding media effects lies in understanding the reasons people use media. Previous uses and gratifications research regarding video game use assumes player motivations are constant variables, as researchers did not measure player motivations over the stages of long-term game use. The present study investigated differences between multiplayer video game user motivations across three stages of game play - beginning, persisting, and ceasing to play. Data from survey instruments distributed via online message boards showed statistically significant changes in motivations from both the beginning and persisting stages of play as compared to the ceasing stage. The present study confirmed motivations for video game use change over time, and thus takes an innovative step which can be replicated to better understand our relationship with other media

Scalable Interactive Volume Rendering Using Off-the-shelf Components

This paper describes an application of a second generation implementation of the Sepia architecture (Sepia-2) to interactive volu-metric visualization of large rectilinear scalar fields. By employingpipelined associative blending operators in a sort-last configuration a demonstration system with 8 rendering computers sustains 24 to 28 frames per second while interactively rendering large data volumes (1024x256x256 voxels, and 512x512x512 voxels). We believe interactive performance at these frame rates and data sizes is unprecedented. We also believe these results can be extended to other types of structured and unstructured grids and a variety of GL rendering techniques including surface rendering and shadow map-ping. We show how to extend our single-stage crossbar demonstration system to multi-stage networks in order to support much larger data sizes and higher image resolutions. This requires solving a dynamic mapping problem for a class of blending operators that includes Porter-Duff compositing operators

Biological control of marine sediment stability by the mussels Mytilus edulis L. and Modiolus modiolus (L.)

The work reported in this thesis is divided into 3 main sections as follows. Section 1. The external morphology of byssus threads produced by Mytilus edulis and Modiolus modiolus was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Section 2. Several laboratory experiments were performed to determine how sediment with stones at different layers and of different particle size ranges affects byssus thread production. These experiments were: (i) An initial experiment to determine the rate of byssus thread production. (ii) The response of single animals and groups of animals to different particle size ranges of sediment. (iii) The response of single animals and groups of animals to experimental sediments (particle size range < 2.0cm) with stones present or not present at different depths. Section 3. Experiments were performed to determine the effects of single animals and groups of animals on sediment stability. All experiments were performed under controlled conditions in an experimental sea water flume. These experiments were: (i) the effects of single animals on sediment stability in different particle size ranges of sediment. (ii) the effects of groups of animals on sediment stability in different particle size ranges of sediment. (iii) the effects of groups of animals on sediment stability in sediment of particle size < 2.00mm, with stones present or not present at different depths

Understanding and building resilience with art: A socio-ecological approach

Resilience is a widely researched phenomenon, it means different things to different people and is perceived and measured according to the theoretical lens being applied. The following thesis reviews the theoretical development of resilience that has led to contemporary understandings, to establish a platform for the research topic - understanding and building resilience with Art. Narrative research methods are combined with art processes to illuminate the stories of eight culturally diverse women participating in a community based mental health art program, in Western Australia. Fifteen resilience themes emerged from the collective experience, and are presented in a socio-ecological framework to understand the complex interplay between the individual and their environment. Six key learnings that illustrate the unique contribution art has to make to building individual, social and community resilience in the Australian policy context are explored and discussed. The discussion revisits a strengths approach to resilience, and through metaphor and symbol it reminds us that resilience in its most basic form is strength during difficult time. Social, cultural and spiritual aspects of strength and resilience are highlighted; and the concept of resilient places is introduced and the crucial role they have to play in social inclusion and social support is discussed. It brings to light evidence that not all people in Australia have equal access to social networks and the need to bridge the gap to community for people who live with complex needs and are separated from family, friends and other natural support systems. By presenting resilience within a socio-ecological framework, the social and community aspects of resilience cannot be ignored. The strength of this research is the creative use of art and narrative to illuminate the lived experience and communicate findings to a wider audience. The use of a public exhibition and the publication of a colourful resource book and its wide dissemination via the World Wide Web; projected the science in the lime light, inviting a broader and more diverse audience to engage with the stories of resilience, enhancing the potential of the findings to influence community attitudes as well as policy and practice. This research demonstrates that art is much more than ‘a means to an end’, it is valuable research tool that can be used to explore, embody and express complex and challenging social phenomenon, such as resilience

Towards integrated care: using linked data to explore health and social care utilisation for adult residents of Barking and Dagenham in 2016/17

Background Better integration across all settings of care is a core ambition of the NHS to address the changing needs of an ageing population and achieve efficiency gains. This study created a novel individual level data resource to explore the use of health and social care services across five care settings, to evaluate the factors associated with this use, and the extent to which these factors vary by setting of care for residents of Barking and Dagenham in 2016/17. Methodology Mixed methods including: semi-structured interviews in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge to understand system leaders’ perspectives on working across organisation and sector boundaries; descriptive analysis of service utilisation across five settings of care (hospital, primary, community, mental health and social care) to compare population and cost volumes for 32 possible combinations of service use; a two-part regression model to calculate the combined effect of the probability of service use and the level of service use if there was one across a wide range of co-variates overall and by setting of care; matched analysis of the impact having an informal carer has on cost-weighted utilisation. Results Improving system finances was a key motivator for integration. The 2016/17 total costs for the cohort (114,393 residents) was £180.1 million. Two combinations of service use dominated cost and volume for the system, with a further eight combinations dominant for an individual setting. The relative impact of socio-demographic, health and economic factors differed according to setting of care. Health and care costs were £2,662 higher for people registered in their primary care records to have a carer compared to those who did not. Conclusions Large, linked datasets, such as the one considered in this thesis, provide extensive opportunities to improve our understanding of service user patterns and the wider determinants of health