Comparison of predation by two suburban cats in New Zealand

To study the effects domestic cats may have on surrounding wildlife, a complete list was made of 558 items caught in the garden or brought into the house by one cat over 17 years, from 1988 to 2005. The effect on prey populations was assessed by comparing their abundance with the previous 15 years’ population without a cat. On balance, this cat (Cat 1) was clearly beneficial to the native bird species by killing rodents and deterring mustelids. The diet of a second cat (Cat 2) was recorded in the same way from 2006 to 2016. This cat caught half the number of items 148:287, but in the same proportions: house mice (37.8:42.6); ship rats (12.8:12.1); European rabbits (all young) (8.1:6.7); weasels (0.7:0.4); dunnock (12.8:9.2); house sparrow (2.0:3.1); blackbird (2.7:2.5); song thrush (1.4:1.3); European greenfinch (0.7:5.8); chaffinch (0.7:3.3); silvereye (10.1:8.3); New Zealand fantail (2.0:1.0); lizards (8.1:1.7). Despite this, there were significant differences: Cat 2 avoided finches (2:28, P = 0.004), and took a few more lizards (12:5). For both cats, birds apparently formed about a third of their diet: 33.4% and 34.5%, but comparison of the proportion of birds and rodents brought into the house (12:92) and found dead away from the house (49:45) implies that 320 rodent kills may have been missed, being far more difficult to find. As top predators, these cats were clearly beneficial to native birds, and proposed control or elimination may precipitate mesopredator release and a rabbit problem

Dynamical systems models for growth of ryegrass and clover : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mathematics at Massey University

This thesis presents models formulated to describe ryegrass and clover growth independently, with the long-term goal of constructing a unified ryegrass/clover model. The purpose of this unified model will be to address the questions of co-existence of ryegrass and clover when grown together, and persistence of ryegrass in these mixed pastures. An overview of the problem and background of the biology is provided. This may be particularly useful for the reader with no prior knowledge of ryegrass or clover biology. A physiologically-based model for ryegrass growth is investigated. This model is a modification of that proposed by Johnson and Thornley [14] who only consider the vegetative growth phase. The modified model accounts for the reproductive growth phase. Some numerical results, with and without reproduction, are presented. These results show that increased growth occurs when reproduction is included. A model for ryegrass growth based on tiller numbers is then investigated. This model has far fewer state variables than the above-mentioned physiologically-based model, although only vegetative growth is considered. The differential-delay equations which result from the mathematical formulation of this model are presented. Mathematical analysis of these equations reveals two steady states: a zero steady state and a finite steady state. A threshold condition that determines which of these two steady states is eventually reached is given. The effects of harvesting the growth are also studied using numerical simulation. Two models for clover growth, both of which are structurally similar to the second ryegrass model, are described. However the first clover model does not have any inbuilt delay mechanisms. Mathematical analysis of these models also shows the existence of two steady states: a zero steady state and a finite steady state. Again, a threshold condition determining which of these is eventually reached is given. There is little difference between the results from the two clover models, even when the numerical simulations from harvesting are considered. Finally, a summary is given of the models studied and an indication of possible extensions to these models. A suggestion as to how a unified ryegrass/clover model might be formulated is also given

Values in sexuality education: case studies in HIV/Aids prevention education in Australia and England

Research focussing on values in sexuality education with a particular interest in good practice and resource development was undertaken in two research settings. These settings are described with examples of interventions, developments and common themes around sexuality education. The case is made for further research in sex education to provide the context for the two case studies. Models of sex education and the issue of values are discussed. The Action Research method is outlined and the suitability of this approach is presented and reflected upon. Six research questions emerged, from a teaching context, to become the central concerns of the thesis. These questions were: How values aware are educators on sexual issues. What part do human factors play in the expression and perception of values in sexuality education. Do personal values influence our use of resources for sexuality education. What are the values implicit or explicit in resources for sexuality education. Is there any evidence of values-conflict amongst those involved in sexuality education. Is there any evidence of consensus of values or a framework of values about which sexuality educators can agree. Much of the qualitative data emerged from the process of developing curriculum materials for schools. The published resource which resulted from this process, "Working Around AIDS Together" (1988), was developed by the researcher and is currently used in Australia. The thesis draws upon the experience of educators to argue for an increase in values-awareness during teacher training, participation in school sex education policy making and for a process which enables common or core values to become explicit. The thesis highlights the need for all health enhancing values to be respected in educational processes

Developing a suicide prevention implementation plan for older adults in Kent and Medway

This document sets out the findings from a ten week student internship project focussing on the development of a suicide prevention implementation plan for older adults in Kent and Medway. The Canterbury Christ Church Student Internship Scheme allows students to work with academic staff on real research projects. Academics can apply for a research intern to work with them on a relevant and clearly defined project, creating capacity to carry out research in areas that are likely to result in tangible outputs. The author of this report is a second year BSc Psychology student at Canterbury Christ Church University who carried out a paid research intern role researching suicide prevention in older adults for the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Steering Group over a 10 week period from May to July 2014

A New Chloroform Inhaler.

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Stretch hyperreflexia in children with cerebral palsy:Assessment - Contextualization - Modulation

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder and the most frequent cause of motor impairment in children in Europe. Around 85% of children with CP experience stretch hyperreflexia, also known as “spasticity”. Stretch hyperreflexia is an excessive response to muscle stretch, leading to increased joint resistance. The joint hyper-resistance causes limitations in activities such as walking. Multiple methods have been developed to measure stretch hyperreflexia, but evidence supporting the use of these methods for diagnostics and treatment evaluation in children with CP is insufficient. Furthermore, most methods are designed to assess stretch reflexes in passive conditions, which might not translate to the limitations encountered due to stretch reflexes during activities. Furthermore, while a broad range of stretch hyperreflexia treatments is available, many are invasive, non-specific, or temporary and might have adverse side effects. Training methods to reduce stretch reflexes using biofeedback are promising non-invasive methods with potential long-term sustained effects. Still, clinical feasibility needs to be improved before implementation in clinical rehabilitation of children with CP. This thesis aimed to develop methods to assess stretch hyperreflexia of the calf muscles during passive conditions, as well as in the context of walking. Additionally, this thesis aimed to develop clinically feasible methods to modulate stretch hyperreflexia in the calf muscle of children with CP. The outcomes are described in eight different studies presented in this thesis. All in all, the work presented in this thesis shows that sagittal plane clinical gait analysis can be performed using the human body model and can be complemented with ultrasound imaging of the calf muscle. Motorized methods to assess stretch hyperreflexia in passive conditions might be useful for evaluation in adults after SCI/Stroke. Still, limitations regarding feasibility and validity limit clinical application for children with CP. Furthermore, this thesis provides additional evidence that the deviating muscle activation patterns during walking, particularly the increased activation around initial contact, are caused by stretch hyper-reflexes in children with CP. The deviating muscle activation patterns, with increased activation during early stance and reduced activation around push-off, can be modulated within one session by several children with CP. Therefore, the next step is to develop a training program to modulate the activation pattern and potentially decrease stretch hyper-reflexes in children with CP to improve the gait patter

Grieving in the workplace: How do grieving employees perceive their experience of workplace support from management?

To explore what bereaved employees consider as helpful support from their managers. An online questionnaire was completed by 40 participants from various occupations in the United Kingdom who had been bereaved of their spouse. The data were analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. Two key superordinate themes were found: Acknowledgement’ and ‘Response’. This study supports the growing initiative to set informal support for grieving employees thereby enhancing the provision of impactful and timely bereavement support in the workplace. These findings suggest that managers were considered to be supportive when they ‘acknowledged’ the bereaved employees’ situation and their reactions to grief. Additionally, managers were thought to be supportive when they responded in offering specific support depending on the individual’s circumstances and provided sufficient time and space for them to grieve. ‘Acknowledging’ and ‘responding’ appeared to promote understanding and instil a sense of being valued rather than the feeling of being just another number within the organisation. All participants were English speakers and a higher proportion were women, which may influence the generalisability of the findings

How employers respond to employees who return to the workplace after experiencing the death of a loved one? A review of the literature

In order to provide insight for employers in maintaining a mentally healthy and productive workforce, it is essential to understand how bereaved employees experience workplace support. A global literature search was conducted between February 2018 and April 2018, resulting in 15 papers directly matching stipulated inclusion and exclusion criteria. Three common themes emerged from the data namely; Instrumental Support, Informational Support and Emotional Support. Findings suggest that while various employers endeavoured to show sympathy and flexibility to bereaved employees, others were found to be less responsive with certain areas of workplace support being reported as insufficient

Flux Creep and Flux Jumping

We consider the flux jump instability of the Bean's critical state arising in the flux creep regime in type-II superconductors. We find the flux jump field, $B_j$, that determines the superconducting state stability criterion. We calculate the dependence of $B_j$ on the external magnetic field ramp rate, $\dot B_e$. We demonstrate that under the conditions typical for most of the magnetization experiments the slope of the current-voltage curve in the flux creep regime determines the stability of the Bean's critical state, {\it i.e.}, the value of $B_j$. We show that a flux jump can be preceded by the magneto-thermal oscillations and find the frequency of these oscillations as a function of $\dot B_e$.Comment: 7 pages, ReVTeX, 2 figures attached as postscript file