Day-length is central to maintaining consistent seasonal diversity in marine bacterioplankton

Marine bacterial diversity is vast, but seasonal variation in diversity is poorly understood. Here we present the longest bacterial diversity time series consisting of monthly (72) samples from the western English Channel over a 6 year period (2003-2008) using 747,494 16SrDNA-V6 amplicon-pyrosequences. Although there were characteristic cycles for each phylum, the overall community cycle was remarkably stable year after year. The majority of taxa were not abundant, although on occasion these rare bacteria could dominate the assemblage. Bacterial diversity peaked at the winter solstice and showed remarkable synchronicity with day-length, which had the best explanatory power compared to a combination of other variables (including temperature and nutrient concentrations). Day-length has not previously been recognised as a major force in structuring microbial communities

The relevance of images in user generated content. A mixed method study of when and why major brands retweet

This paper develops unique new insight for business practitioners and academic researchers into the interaction between consumers and brands on social media platforms, principally where brands choose to interact with, and amplify, user-generated content (UGC) by retweeting it on their own brand channels. Despite increasing research into social media in general, there is a relative lack of available academic research on major brands engaging with consumer content, which may, be in part due to the pace of change and exponential growth in this emerging area. This mixed method study develops insight conducted over an 18-month period with leading social media practitioners, concluding that primarily a brand's social media team opportunistically seek out and retweet organic image-led UGC to convey specific messages across multiple platforms. Content containing imagery lends authenticity to brand storytelling; brands with tangible products are more likely to receive organic UGC which contains images than intangible brands

Trauma Pause

https://digitalcommons.psjhealth.org/summit_all/1028/thumbnail.jp

The influence of ocean acidification on nitrogen regeneration and nitrous oxide production in the North-West European shelf sea

The assimilation and regeneration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and the concentration of N2O, was investigated at stations located in the NW European shelf sea during June/July 2011. These observational measurements within the photic zone demonstrated the simultaneous regeneration and assimilation of NH4+, NO2− and NO3−. NH4+ was assimilated at 1.82–49.12 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 3.46–14.60 nmol N L−1 h−1; NO2− was assimilated at 0–2.08 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 0.01–1.85 nmol N L−1 h−1; NO3− was assimilated at 0.67–18.75 nmol N L−1 h−1 and regenerated at 0.05–28.97 nmol N L−1 h−1. Observations implied that these processes were closely coupled at the regional scale and nitrogen recycling played an important role in sustaining phytoplankton growth during the summer. The [N2O], measured in water column profiles, was 10.13 ± 1.11 nmol L−1 and did not strongly diverge from atmospheric equilibrium indicating that sampled marine regions where neither a strong source nor sink of N2O to the atmosphere. Multivariate analysis of data describing water column biogeochemistry and its links to N-cycling activity failed to explain the observed variance in rates of N-regeneration and N-assimilation, possibly due to the limited number of process rate observations. In the surface waters of 5 further stations, Ocean Acidification (OA) bioassay experiments were conducted to investigate the response of NH4+ oxidising and regenerating organisms to simulated OA conditions, including the implications for [N2O]. Multivariate analysis was undertaken which considered the complete bioassay dataset of measured variables describing changes in N-regeneration rate, [N2O] and the biogeochemical composition of seawater. While anticipating biogeochemical differences between locations, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the underlying mechanism through which pelagic N-regeneration responded to simulated OA conditions was independent of location and that a mechanistic understanding of how NH4+ oxidation, NH4+ regeneration and N2O production responded to OA could be developed. Results indicated that N-regeneration process responses to OA treatments were location specific; no mechanistic understanding of how N-regeneration processes respond to OA in the surface ocean of the NW European shelf sea could be developed

Media representations of white supremacy groups : a content analysis of two Ontario newspapers, 1977 to 1992

This thesis investigates how the print media represents white supremacy groups. More specifically, articles concerned with white supremacy groups are examined from The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star from 1977 to 1992 using content analysis techniques. This thesis outlines theoretical perspectives on prejudice and social class as well as on white supremacists. Findings show that articles about white supremacy groups did not occur in any great number during the review period and that they were rarely considered to be front page news. The large majority of articles from both newspapers focused on stories dealing with crime and conflict which only served to portray white supremacy groups in a negative fashion. Analysis of these findings are examined with techniques of interpreting the print media used by Hall ( 1978) and Knight (1998). White supremacy groups operate outside Canada’s state ideology of multiculturalism which is reflected in the print media and thus they are limited in their effect on society. These groups are also treated as secondary sources by the print media which serves to diminish their influence through the press even farther. Increases in white supremacist activities as well as racism in general since the late 1970s have been attributed to the rise of the “new right” in much of the western world. In spite of the general shift to the right politically, public opinion about race does not seem to be related. Incidents of Canadian radical right-wing violence are compared to the number of white supremacist affiliated articles over a fourteen year period. One similarity is that they are both few in number

Developing conceptual models that link multiple ecosystem services to ecological research to aid management and policy, the UK marine example

Our understanding of ecological processes that lead to ecosystem services is still evolving but ecological research aims to understand the linkages between the ecosystem and services. These linkages can affect trade-offs between different ecosystem services. Understanding these linkages, by considering multiple ecosystem services simultaneously supports management of the environment and sustainable use of resources. The UK marine environment is relatively data rich, yet the links between ecosystem and several ecosystem services and linkages between services are poorly described. A workshop with 35 marine scientists was used to create a conceptual model that links ecosystem components and key processes to four services they provide and to highlight trade-offs between them. The model was subsequently further developed to include pressures and mitigating management measures. The models are discussed in terms of their application to marine data to facilitate evidence-based marine management and their usefulness to communicate management measures with managers and stakeholders

Assessing the conservation status of marine habitats: thoughts from a sandflat on the Isles of Scilly.

Statutory monitoring of the fauna of the ‘mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide’ biotope complex on St Martin’s Flats, a part of the Isles of Scilly Complex Special Area of Conservation, was undertaken in 2000, 2004 and 2009. The targets set by Natural England for “characteristic biotopes” were that “composite species, abundance and diversity should not deviate significantly from an established baseline, subject to natural change”. The three specified biotopes could not be distinguished, and instead three assemblages were subjectively defined based on sediment surface features. There were statistically significant natural changes in diversity and species composition between years, especially in the association initially characterized by the razor-clam Ensis, and possible reasons for this are discussed. It is suggested that setting fixed local limits on natural variability is almost always impractical. Two possible approaches to distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic changes are suggested; a change in ecological condition as indicated by AMBI scores, and a significant change in average taxonomic distinctness (Δ+) compared with expectation. The determination of species biomasses as well as abundances might also open more possibilities for assessment. The practice of setting objectives for a marine SAC feature that include the range and number of biotopes cannot be supported, in view the difficulty in ascribing assemblages to recognised biotopes. A more realistic definition of species assemblages might best be gained from examination of the species that consistently make a substantial contribution to the Bray Curtis similarity among samples collected from specific sites

The effects of trawling and primary production on size-structured food webs in seabed ecosystems

Understanding how different drivers shape relationships between abundance and body mass (size spectra) is important for understanding trophic and competitive interactions in food webs and for predicting the effects of human pressures. Here, we sample seabed communities from small polychaetes (1 kg) in the Celtic Sea and the western English Channel to examine how bottom trawling and primary production affect their size spectra and to compare these with predictions from a model that couples predator and detritivore communities. Size spectra were not well approximated by linear fits because of truncation of the size spectra of detritivores. Low primary production resulted in lower abundance of benthic fauna. Bottom trawling reduced the abundance of predators and large detritivores but allowed small detritivores to increase in abundance. These empirical size spectra were partly consistent with predictions from the size spectra model, showing that understanding the structuring of benthic communities requires a consideration of both size and functional group. The findings highlight the need for an ecosystem approach to understanding the effects of exploitation and climate change on marine ecosystems

Variation in ambulance call rates for care homes in Torbay, UK

Emergency ambulance calls represent one of the routes of emergency hospital admissions from care homes. We aimed to describe the pattern of ambulance call rates from care homes and identify factors predicting those homes calling for an ambulance most frequently. We obtained data from South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on 3138 ambulance calls relating to people aged 65 and over from care homes in the Torbay region between 1/4/12 and 31/7/13. We supplemented this with data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website on home characteristics and outcomes of CQC inspections. We used descriptive statistics to identify variation in ambulance call rates for residential and nursing homes and fitted negative binomial regression models to determine if call rates were predicted by home type (nursing versus residential), the five standards in the CQC reports, dementia care status or travel time to hospital. One hundred and forty-six homes (119 residential and 27 nursing) were included in the analysis. The number of calls made ranged from 1 to 99. The median number (IQR; range) of calls per resident per year was 0.51 (0.21 to 0.89; 0.03 to 2.45). Nursing homes had a lower call rate than residential homes (adjusted rate ratio (ARR) 0.29; 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.40 ; p<0.001); care homes failing the quality and suitability of management standard had a lower call rate compared to those who passed (ARR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.90; p=0.006); and homes specialising in dementia had a higher call rate compared to those not specialising (ARR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.23 to 1.96; p<0.001). These findings require replication in other regions to establish their generalisability and further investigation is required to determine the extent to which callrate variability reflects the different needs of resident populations or differences in care home policies and practice