Terrestrial Mollusks of Attu, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Seven species of land mollusk (2 slugs, 5 snails) were collected on Attu in July 1979. Three are circumboreal species, two are amphi-arctic (Palearctic and Nearctic but not circumboreal), and two are Nearctic. Barring chance survival of mollusks in local refugia, the fauna was assembled overwater since deglaciation, perhaps within the last 10 000 years. Mollusk faunas from Kamchatka to southeastern Alaska all have a Holarctic component. A Palearctic component present on Kamchatka and the Commander Islands is absent from the Aleutians, which have a Nearctic component that diminishes westward. This pattern is similar to that of other soil-dwelling invertebrate groups

Key Learnings from the PEER Project. A Combined Research Paper

The inclusion of participation rights in the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) promotes the right, independent of age, for all citizens to actively ex- press their opinion and take part in decisions regarding all aspects of their lives. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNComRC), the Council of Europe’s strategy for Building a Europe for and with Children, as well as their 2012 Recommendation on the Participation of Children and Young People Under the Age of 18 underline the importance of the right and have developed guidance on how to encourage and empower children to participate. For many children in European societies there is a growing pool of opportunities not only to take part in education, health care, entertainment, sports and culture, but also to become actors who influence such settings at strategic as well as interpersonal levels (Davey, Burke, and Shaw 2010). The extent of child and youth participation varies between countries and according to social and minority status, not all having equal chances to participate (Lundy and Stalford 2013; Lansdown 2011). According to the Youth Report 2012 (European Union 2012) data, youth who are most likely to not participate in any organizational form come from Cyprus (67%), Lithuania and Hungary (both 63%), followed by Romania (60%) (EC - DG Education and Culture 2013, 10; ECORYS 2015). Children from low social economic status families and ethnic minorities, especially Roma, have a much lower level of participation. Al- though progress has been made in some countries, Roma and Traveller children and youth are mostly overlooked, due not only to their age, but also to their social economic status and ethnic prejudices (Schuurman 2012; Sykora 2012). In countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania, many Roma children cumulate social disadvantages, such as growing up in poverty, in social and spatial marginalized areas, with limited access to good quality education, barriers to adequate health care, etc., which reduce their chances to influence formal processes and decisions that affect them. Although widely recognised as fundamental, child and youth participation rights are hardly addressed through National Roma Strategies or youth policies (Schuurman 2012). Roma minority ethnics, including children are seen as passive beneficiaries of social policies and interventions, often not tailored according to their needs or worse, built on existing stereotypes. For marginalised children and young people in particular, their right to participate and act as citizens and equal stakeholders needs to be fostered through both research and action (Larkins 2016). In this context, with funding from an EU Fundamental Rights and Citizenship grant (JUST/2013/FRAC/AG/6230), a consortium of universities, research institutions and NGOs working with Roma children and young people established a participatory action project called PEER1 (Participation and Empowerment Experiences for Roma youth). Following the Youth participation in Development Guide 1 The consortium was coordinated by Dr Prof Maria Roth (Babes- Bolyai University) and the lead researcher was Dr Cath Larkins, University of Central Lancashire. The content of this paper does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the manual lies entirely with the authors. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. ©European Union, 2016 (DFID-CSO Youth Working Group 2010) one of our key operating concepts was the three lens approach to youth participation: in order for services to work with children as beneficiaries, workers have to engage with them as partners and support youth to become leaders. In this research paper we describe the aims, general approach and activities of the PEER project. We outline the diverse contexts in which we worked. We then provide an over- view of the key learning from the project. We conclude that Roma children and young people, in order to exercise their right to participate as citizens, will readily engage in participation opportunities whenever they can take an informal and flexible approach to engage with them on issues that they choose and that have direct relevance to their own lives, and whenever structural, institutional and expert support is available to them

Projected pH reductions by 2100 might put deep North Atlantic biodiversity at risk

This study aims to evaluate the potential for impacts of ocean acidification on North Atlantic deep-sea ecosystems in response to IPCC AR5 Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). Deep-sea biota is likely highly vulnerable to changes in seawater chemistry and sensitive to moderate excursions in pH. Here we show, from seven fully coupled Earth system models, that for three out of four RCPs over 17% of the seafloor area below 500 m depth in the North Atlantic sector will experience pH reductions exceeding ?0.2 units by 2100. Increased stratification in response to climate change partially alleviates the impact of ocean acidification on deep benthic environments. We report on major pH reductions over the deep North Atlantic seafloor (depth >500 m) and at important deep-sea features, such as seamounts and canyons. By 2100, and under the high CO2 scenario RCP8.5, pH reductions exceeding ?0.2 (?0.3) units are projected in close to 23% (~15%) of North Atlantic deep-sea canyons and ~8% (3%) of seamounts – including seamounts proposed as sites of marine protected areas. The spatial pattern of impacts reflects the depth of the pH perturbation and does not scale linearly with atmospheric CO2 concentration. Impacts may cause negative changes of the same magnitude or exceeding the current target of 10% of preservation of marine biomes set by the convention on biological diversity, implying that ocean acidification may offset benefits from conservation/management strategies relying on the regulation of resource exploitation

Catalog of Recent and Fossil Molluscan Types in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. I. Caudofoveata, Polyplacophora, Bivalvia, Scaphopoda, and Cephalopoda

The non-gastropod molluscan types currently housed in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum are listed. Three hundred seventeen type lots are reported, representing 211 recent species and 9 species originally described as fossils. Each type lot recorded includes a complete citation, type locality, and the current type status of the specimens. An author index and alphabetic index are provided. Lectotype designations are made for three species: Mopalia chacei Berry, 1919; Placiphorella pacifica Berry, 1919; and Venus fordii Yates, 1890

Survivors of Chronic Stroke Experience Continued Impairment of Dexterity But Not Strength in the Nonparetic Upper Limb

Objective To investigate the performance of the less affected upper limb in people with stroke compared with normative values. To examine less affected upper limb function in those whose prestroke dominant limb became paretic and those whose prestroke nondominant limb became paretic. Design Cohort study of survivors of chronic stroke (7.2±6.7y post incident). Setting The study was performed at a freestanding academic rehabilitation hospital. Participants Survivors of chronic stroke (N=40) with severe hand impairment (Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment rating of 2-3 on Stage of Hand) participated in the study. In 20 participants the prestroke dominant hand (DH) was tested (nondominant hand [NH] affected by stroke), and in 20 participants the prestroke NH was tested (DH affected by stroke). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test. Data from survivors of stroke were compared with normative age- and sex-matched data from neurologically intact individuals. Results When combined, DH and NH groups performed significantly worse on fine motor tasks with their nonparetic hand relative to normative data (PP\u3e.140). Conclusions Survivors of stroke with severe impairment of the paretic limb continue to present significant upper extremity impairment in their nominally nonparetic limb even years after stroke. This phenomenon was observed regardless of whether the DH or NH hand was primarily affected. Because this group of survivors of stroke is especially dependent on the nonparetic limb for performing functional tasks, our results suggest that the nonparetic upper limb should be targeted for rehabilitation

Non-uniform doping across the Fermi surface of NbS2_2 intercalates

Magnetic ordering of the first row transition metal intercalates of NbS$_2$ due to coupling between the conduction electrons and the intercalated ions has been explained in terms of Fermi surface nesting. We use angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the Fermi surface topology and the valence band structure of the quasi-two-dimensional layer compounds Mn$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$ and Ni$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$. Charge transfer from the intercalant species to the host layer leads to non-uniform, pocket selective doping of the Fermi surface. The implication of our results on the nesting properties are discussed

The Carnegie Supernova Project: The Low-Redshift Survey

Supernovae are essential to understanding the chemical evolution of the Universe. Type Ia supernovae also provide the most powerful observational tool currently available for studying the expansion history of the Universe and the nature of dark energy. Our basic knowledge of supernovae comes from the study of their photometric and spectroscopic properties. However, the presently available data sets of optical and near-infrared light curves of supernovae are rather small and/or heterogeneous, and employ photometric systems that are poorly characterized. Similarly, there are relatively few supernovae whose spectral evolution has been well sampled, both in wavelength and phase, with precise spectrophotometric observations. The low-redshift portion of the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP) seeks to remedy this situation by providing photometry and spectrophotometry of a large sample of supernovae taken on telescope/filter/detector systems that are well understood and well characterized. During a five-year program which began in September 2004, we expect to obtain high-precision u'g'r'i'BVYJHKs light curves and optical spectrophotometry for about 250 supernovae of all types. In this paper we provide a detailed description of the CSP survey observing and data reduction methodology. In addition, we present preliminary photometry and spectra obtained for a few representative supernovae during the first observing campaign.Comment: 45 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, accepted by PAS

Dealing with mobility: Understanding access anytime, anywhere

The rapid and accelerating move towards the adoption and use of mobile technologies has increasingly provided people and organisations with the ability to work away from the office and on the move. The new ways of working afforded by these technologies are often characterised in terms of access to information and people ‘anytime, anywhere’. This paper presents a study of mobile workers that highlights different facets of access to remote people and information, and different facets of anytime, anywhere. Four key factors in mobile work are identified from the study: the role of planning, working in ‘dead time’, accessing remote technological and informational resources, and monitoring the activities of remote colleagues. By reflecting on these issues, we can better understand the role of technology and artefact use in mobile work and identify the opportunities for the development of appropriate technological solutions to support mobile workers

The Carnegie Supernova Project: Analysis of the First Sample of Low-Redshift Type-Ia Supernovae

We present the analysis of the first set of low-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) by the Carnegie Supernova Project. Well-sampled, high-precision optical (ugriBV) and near-infrared (NIR; YJHKs) light curves obtained in a well-understood photometric system are used to provide light-curve parameters, and ugriBVYJH template light curves. The intrinsic colors at maximum light are calibrated to compute optical--NIR color excesses for the full sample, thus allowing the properties of the reddening law in the host galaxies to be studied. A low value of Rv~1.7, is derived when using the entire sample of SNe. However, when the two highly reddened SNe in the sample are excluded, a value Galactic standard of Rv~3.2 is obtained. The colors of these two events are well matched by a reddening model due to circumstellar dust. The peak luminosities are calibrated using a two-parameter linear fit to the decline rates and the colors, or alternatively, the color excesses. In both cases, dispersions in absolute magnitude of 0.12--0.16 mag are obtained, depending on the filter-color combination. In contrast to the results obtained from color excesses, these fits give Rv~1--2, even when the two highly reddened SNe are excluded. This discrepancy suggests that, beyond the "normal" interstellar reddening produced in the host galaxies, there is an intrinsic dispersion in the colors of SNe Ia which is correlated with luminosity but independent of the decline rate. Finally, a Hubble diagram is produced by combining the results of the fits for each filter. The resulting scatter of 0.12 mag appears to be limited by peculiar velocities as evidenced by the strong correlation between the distance-modulus residuals among the different filters. The implication is that the actual precision of SN Ia distances is 3--4%.Comment: 76 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in A

An integrated approach to improving rural livelihoods: Examples from India and Bangladesh

This paper presents an overview of work in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and SW Bangladesh through a series of projects from 2005 to the present, considering the impact of farming systems, water shed development and/or agricultural intensification on livelihoods in selected rural areas of India and Bangladesh. The projects spanned a range of scales spanning from the village scale (∼  1 km2) to the meso-scale (∼  100 km2), and considered social as well as biophysical aspects. They focused mainly on the food and water part of the food-water-energy nexus. These projects were in collaboration with a range of organisations in India and Bangladesh, including NGOs, universities, and government research organisations and departments. The projects were part funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and built on other projects that have been undertaken within the region. An element of each of these projects was to understand how the hydrological cycle could be managed sustainably to improve agricultural systems and livelihoods of marginal groups. As such, they evaluated appropriate technology that is generally not dependent on high-energy inputs (mechanisation). This includes assessing the availability of water, and identifying potential water resources that have not been developed; understanding current agricultural systems and investigating ways of improving water use efficiency; and understanding social dynamics of the affected communities including the potential opportunities and negative impacts of watershed development and agricultural development.he authors acknowledge funding from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research for projects: Water harvesting and better cropping systems for smallholders of the East India Plateau (LWR/2002/100), Impacts of meso-scale Watershed Development (WSD) in Andhra Pradesh (India) and their implications for designing and implementing improved WSD policies and programs (LWR/2006/072), and Promoting socially inclusive and sustainable agricultural intensification in West Bengal and Bangladesh (LWR/2014/072)