Ecology of the infauna of Spurn Bight mudflats : an area proposed for reclamation

The invertebrate infauna of Spurn Bight, an extensive area of mudflats in the outer Humber Estuary, internationally important for wildfowl and subject to land reclamation proposals, was studied in the form of a short term extensive survey of the wole area followed by a year long intensive study of the dynamics of the major species.Two-way cluster analysis of species and sample stations revealed three subcommunities within a, 'classic' boreal shallow mud 'Macoma' community distributed in relation mainly to sediment type and position on the shore. Ordination showed these to be continuous rather than discrete but the clusters were used as convenient units for extrapolation of single species' dynamics determined from the longer term study.Five major species: - Nephtys hombergi, Hediste diversicolor, Cerastoderma edule, Macoma balthica and Retusa obtusa were studied in detail and information on all other species was collated as an annotated list. For the major species, data on density, biomass, growth rate, mortality, production, elimination and productivity were analysed from the period March 1978 - March 1979. Mortality of certain species was found to be related to the very harsh winter and evidence was found of translocation of sediments and infauna within the Bight.Certain species, notably M. balthica, N. hombergi, R. obtusa and Eteone longa were found to 'perform' exceptionally well in the Bight and the total community biomass was found to be exceptionally high for a temperate silt ecosystem.The total invertebrate resource of the whole mudflat was estimated in conjunction with studies carried out on the avifauna over the same period and it is tentatively suggested that the mudflats may be able to support larger numbers of waders than at present. This is discussed in relation to the proposal for land reclamation and it is concluded that even partial schemes, designed to conserve part of the resource, would lead to the destruction of the most productive areas of mudflat in the middle and upper shore

Some lessons learned in three years with ADS-33C

Three years of using the U.S. Army's rotorcraft handling qualities specification, Aeronautical Design Standard - 33, has shown it to be surprisingly robust. It appears to provide an excellent basis for design and for assessment, however, as the subtleties become more well understood, several areas needing refinement became apparent. Three responses to these needs have been documented in this paper: (1) The yaw-axis attitude quickness for hover target acquisition and tracking can be relaxed slightly. (2) Understanding and application of criteria for degraded visual environments needed elaboration. This and some guidelines for testing to obtain visual cue ratings have been documented. (3) The flight test maneuvers were an innovation that turned out to be very valuable. Their extensive use has made it necessary to tighten definitions and testing guidance. This was accomplished for a good visual environment and is underway for degraded visual environments

Speed Eleusis: variation on an old educational card game

In this article, we describe a fun and engaging card game called Speed Eleusis that teaches the process of scientific discovery and publication, including such practices as replication and retraction. Much like the traditional game of Eleusis and its variant Eleusis Express, this game involves students competing to model a pattern displayed in a sequence of ordinary playing cards. Speed Eleusis, however, features a quicker pace and is easier to manage. Although developed for introductory physics and physical science labs at a four-year university and two-year college, Speed Eleusis should prove ideal across a wide range of science subjects and age groups, especially during the first week of instruction.Vice President For Researc

Psychobiological influences on maternal sensitivity in the context of adversity.

This study evaluated prospective longitudinal relations among an index of poverty-related cumulative risk, maternal salivary cortisol, child negative affect, and maternal sensitivity across the first two postpartum years. Participants included 1,180 biological mothers residing in rural and predominantly low-income communities in the US. Multilevel growth curve analyses indicated that an index of cumulative risk was positively associated with maternal cortisol across the postpartum (study visits occurring at approximately 7, 15, and 24 months postpartum) over and above effects for African American ethnicity, time of day of saliva collection, age, parity status, having given birth to another child, contraceptive use, tobacco smoking, body mass index, and breastfeeding. Consistent with a psychobiological theory of mothering, maternal salivary cortisol was negatively associated with maternal sensitivity observed during parent-child interactions across the first two postpartum years over and above effects for poverty-related cumulative risk, child negative affect, as well as a large number of covariates associated with cortisol and maternal sensitivity. Child negative affect expressed during parent-child interactions was negatively associated with observed maternal sensitivity at late (24 months) but not early time points of observation (7 months) and cumulative risk was negatively associated with maternal sensitivity across the postpartum and this effect strengthened over time. Results advance our understanding of the dynamic, transactional, and psychobiological influences on parental caregiving behaviors across the first two postpartum years

Definitive radiotherapy for early stage glottic cancer by 6 MV photons

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcome of early glottic cancer (GC) treated by primary radiotherapy (RT) with 6 MV photons. Methods and materials: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 695 consecutive patients with T1N0 and T2N0 GC treated between 1983 and 2005 by RT in our institution. Clinical outcome in terms of local control (LC), overall survival (OS) and cause- specific survival (CSS) rate were evaluated. Results: The median follow-up time was 10.5 years.The 10-year actuarial LC rates were as follows: T1A, 91%; T1B, 87%; T2, 77%. The 10-year OS were as follows: T1, 74.2%; T2, 70.7%. The 10-year CSS were as follows: T1, 97.7%; T2, 97.1%. Poorly differentiated histology and tumor biologically effective dose < 65 Gy.© 2012 Tong et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Phenotypic Evidence of Emerging Ivermectin Resistance in Onchocerca volvulus

Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus and is transmitted by a blackfly vector. Over 37 million people are thought to be infected, with over 90 million at risk. Infection predominantly occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. Foci also exist in the Arabian Peninsula and Central and South America. Ivermectin, the sole pharmaceutical available for mass chemotherapy, has been used on a community basis for annual or semi-annual treatment since 1987. Multiple treatments with ivermectin kill the microfilariae that are responsible for the pathology of onchocerciasis. More importantly, ivermectin suppresses the reproductive activity of the adult female worms, thus delaying or preventing the repopulation of the skin with new microfilariae and thereby reducing transmission. This study extends earlier reports of sub-optimal responses to ivermectin by examining repopulation levels of microfilaria one year after treatment, worm burdens per nodule, the age structure of adult female worms recovered from nodules, and the reproductive status of adult female worms 90 days after ivermectin treatment. In some communities which have shown a pattern of sub-optimal response to treatment, the data is consistent with an emergence of ivermectin non response or resistance manifested by a loss of the effect of ivermectin on the suppression of parasite reproduction