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Larger Scale (larger + scale)
Selected AbstractsChemInform Abstract: Practical and Efficient Processes for the Preparation of 4-(4-Aminophenyl)morpholin-3-ones on a Larger Scale: Precursor of Factor Xa Inhibitors.CHEMINFORM, Issue 24 2008Werner W. K. R. Mederski Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] Effects of landscape composition and substrate availability on saproxylic beetles in boreal forests: a study using experimental logs for monitoring assemblagesECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2006Heloise Gibb Intensive forestry practises in the Swedish landscape have led to the loss and fragmentation of stable old-growth habitats. We investigated relationships between landscape composition at multiple scales and the composition of saproxylic beetle assemblages in nine clear-cut, mature managed and old-growth spruce-dominated forest stands in the central boreal zone of Sweden. We set out fresh spruce and birch logs and created spruce snags in 2001,2002 to experimentally test the effects of coarse woody debris (CWD) type and forest management on the composition of early and late successional, and red-listed saproxylic beetle assemblages. We examined effects of CWD availability at 100 m, and landscape composition at 1 and 10 km on saproxylic beetle abundances. Additionally, we tested whether assemblage similarity decreased with increasing distance between sites. We collected beetles from the experimental logs using eclector and window traps in four periods during 2003. CWD was measured and landscape composition data was obtained from maps of remotely sensed data. The composition of saproxylic beetles differed among different CWD substrates and between clear-cuts and the older stand types, however differences between mature managed and old-growth forests were significant only for red-listed species. Assemblage similarities for red-listed species on clear-cuts were more different at greater distances apart, indicating that they have more localised distributions. CWD availability within 100 m of the study sites was rarely important in determining the abundance of species, suggesting that early successional saproxylic beetles can disperse further than this distance. At a larger scale, a large area of suitable stand types within both 1 and 10 km resulted in greater abundances in the study sites for several common and habitat-specific species. The availability of suitable habitat at scales of 1,10 km is thus likely to be important in the survival of many saproxylic species in forestry-fragmented areas. [source] Prospects for conserving biodiversity in Amazonian extractive reservesECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 3 2002Susan M. Moegenburg Abstract Non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction is a popular alternative to timber extraction that figures prominently in efforts to utilize tropical forests sustainably. But the ability to conserve biodiversity through NTFP management, particularly in extractive reserves in Amazonia, has remained untested. We found that intensive management of Euterpe oleracea (Palmae) fruit, one of the most important extractive products in the Amazon, has substantial impacts on biodiversity, whereas moderate management does not. We mimicked traditional levels of fruit harvest in a replicated experiment over one fruiting season. High-intensity harvest (75% of fruits removed) reduced avian frugivore species diversity by 22%. Low-intensity harvest (40% of fruits removed), however, had no effect on diversity. On a larger scale, we found that forests with enriched densities of E. oleracea supported more fruit-eating birds but fewer non fruit-eating birds than non-enriched forests. Taken together, these results suggest that intensive NTFP management to meet market demands may trigger substantial ecological impacts, at least at the level of our study. E. oleracea harvest should be limited where conservation of biodiversity is a goal. [source] Moving Toward a Comprehensive Assessment System: A Framework for Considering Interim AssessmentsEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2009Marianne Perie Local assessment systems are being marketed as formative, benchmark, predictive, and a host of other terms. Many so-called formative assessments are not at all similar to the types of assessments and strategies studied by,Black and Wiliam (1998),but instead are interim assessments. In this article, we clarify the definition and uses of interim assessments and argue that they can be an important piece of a comprehensive assessment system that includes formative, interim, and summative assessments. Interim assessments are given on a larger scale than formative assessments, have less flexibility, and are aggregated to the school or district level to help inform policy. Interim assessments are driven by their purpose, which fall into the categories of instructional, evaluative, or predictive. Our intent is to provide a specific definition for these "interim assessments" and to develop a framework that district and state leaders can use to evaluate these systems for purchase or development. The discussion lays out some concerns with the current state of these assessments as well as hopes for future directions and suggestions for further research. [source] Modelling the hydraulic preferences of benthic macroinvertebrates in small European streamsFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007SYLVAIN DOLÉDEC Summary 1. Relating processes occurring at a local scale to the natural variability of ecosystems at a larger scale requires the design of predictive models both to orientate stream management and to predict the effects of larger scale disturbances such as climate changes. Our study contributes to this effort by providing detailed models of the hydraulic preferences of 151 invertebrate taxa, mostly identified at the species level. We used an extensive data set comprising 580 invertebrate samples collected using a Surber net from nine sites of second and third order streams during one, two or three surveys at each site. We used nested non-linear mixed models to relate taxon local densities to bed shear stresses estimated from FliesswasserStammTisch hemisphere numbers. 2. An average model by taxon, i.e. independent from surveys, globally explained 25% of the density variations of taxa within surveys. A quadratic relationship existed between the average preferences and the niche breadth of taxa, indicating that taxa preferring extreme hemisphere numbers had a reduced hydraulic niche breadth. A more complete model, where taxa preferences vary across surveys, globally explained 38% of the variation of taxa densities within surveys. Variations in preferences across surveys were weak for taxa preferring extreme hemisphere numbers. 3. There was a significant taxonomic effect on preferences computed from the complete model. By contrast, season, site, average hemisphere number within a survey and average density of taxa within a survey used as covariates did not consistently explain shifts in taxon hydraulic preferences across surveys. 4. The average hydraulic preferences of taxa obtained from the extensive data set were well correlated to those obtained from two additional independent data sets collected in other regions. The consistency of taxon preferences across regions supports the use of regional preference curves for estimating the impact of river management on invertebrate communities. By contrast, the hydraulic niche breadths of taxa computed from the different data sets were not related. [source] Political Accommodation and Functional Interaction along the Northern Italian BorderlandsGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2001David H. Kaplan Borderlands are places where large,scale and small,scale politics interact. Relationships between national states at the largescale affect local relations at the smallscale. Likewise, activities at the small,scale redound to the larger scale. While the politics of boundaries and borderland regions is often viewed at the scale of the national states, we argue that politics at the borderland needs to be examined in two other ways: in terms of relations between regions across national boundaries (small,scale) and in the relations between the borderland region itself and the national state (cross,scale). This article examines the nature of ,cross,scale' and "small,scale" political relations in the northern Italian borderlands. This is explored through (1) the degree of autonomy granted by the Italian government towards regions and cultural minorities on the border, and (2) the nature and extent of contacts and shared projects with neighboring regions across the boundary. Two conclusions are drawn. First, that the nature of cross,scale concessions to regional autonomy depends on the strength of the minority groups involved. Second, that the extent of small,scale contact and collaboration across the boundary depends on pre,existing economic interrelationships and cultural ties. [source] Physically-based modelling of double-peak discharge responses at Slapton Wood catchmentHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 10 2008Stephen J Birkinshaw Abstract Heavy winter rainfall produces double-peak hydrographs at the Slapton Wood catchment, Devon, UK. The first peak is saturation-excess overland flow in the hillslope hollows and the second (i.e. the delayed peak) is subsurface stormflow. The physically-based spatially-distributed model SHETRAN is used to try to improve the understanding of the processes that cause the double peaks. A three-stage (multi-scale) approach to calibration is used: (1) water balance validation for vertical one-dimensional flow at arable, grassland and woodland plots; (2) two-dimensional flow for cross-sections cutting across the stream valley; and (3) three-dimensional flow in the full catchment. The main data are for rainfall, stream discharge, evaporation, soil water potential and phreatic surface level. At each scale there was successful comparison with measured responses, using as far as possible parameter values from measurements. There was some calibration but all calibrated values at one scale were used at a larger scale. A large proportion of the subsurface runoff enters the stream from three dry valleys (hillslope hollows), and previous studies have suggested convergence of the water in the three large hollows as being the major mechanism for the production of the delayed peaks. The SHETRAN modelling suggests that the hillslopes that drain directly into the stream are also involved in producing the delayed discharges. The model shows how in the summer most of the catchment is hydraulically disconnected from the stream. In the autumn the catchment eventually ,wets up' and shallow subsurface flows are produced, with water deflected laterally along the soil-bedrock interface producing the delayed peak in the stream hydrograph. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Individual dispersal among colonies of Little Egrets Egretta garzettaIBIS, Issue 2 2002Mauro Fasola Colonial waterbirds are unusual in that competition for nest-sites or mates may occur at a scale of a few metres, whereas thousands of birds may overlap in their foraging range at a larger scale. Dispersal has been evaluated for only a few such species, and its adaptive significance remains unclear. We studied Little Egret dispersal among all the colonies within the Camargue, southern France. The overall probability of dispersal between successive years was 0.45. The probability of dispersal was unaffected by a bird's age, or by any density-dependent effect of colony size. Juveniles dispersed at distances that would be expected if colony selection were random, while adults tended to remain within 10 km of their previous colony. We found no obvious environmental ,trigger' for an individual to disperse. Although our evidence is inconclusive, the short dispersal distances of adults are not consistent with foraging conditions as the primary trigger for dispersal. Little Egrets generally forage within 8 km of their colony, so birds dispersing less than 10 km would gain little advantage in response to unfavourable foraging conditions. Our data, with 75% of dispersing birds coming from decreasing colonies and 72% joining increasing colonies, suggest that individual dispersal depended on colony dynamics as a whole, i.e. (1) a social component of dispersal at the individual level, or (2) a simultaneous colony response to unfavourable environmental conditions or (3) both. Further investigation at a higher social level may be necessary to understand dispersal of this colonial nesting species. [source] A two-grid fictitious domain method for direct simulation of flows involving non-interacting particles of a very small sizeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 11 2010A. Dechaume Abstract The full resolution of flows involving particles whose scale is hundreds or thousands of times smaller than the size of the flow domain is a challenging problem. A naive approach would require a tremendous number of degrees of freedom in order to bridge the gap between the two spatial scales involved. The approach used in the present study employs two grids whose grid size fits the two different scales involved, one of them (the micro-scale grid) being embedded into the other (the macro-scale grid). Then resolving first the larger scale on the macro-scale grid, we transfer the so obtained data to the boundary of the micro-scale grid and solve the smaller size problem. Since the particle is moving throughout the macro-scale domain, the micro-scale grid is fixed at the centroid of the moving particle and therefore moves with it. In this study we combine such an approach with a fictitious domain formulation of the problem resulting in a very efficient algorithm that is also easy to implement in an existing CFD code. We validate the method against existing experimental data for a sedimenting sphere, as well as analytical results for motion of an inertia-less ellipsoid in a shear flow. Finally, we apply the method to the flow of a high aspect ratio ellipsoid in a model of a human lung airway bifurcation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A comparative analysis of restoration measures and their effects on hydromorphology and benthic invertebrates in 26 central and southern European riversJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Sonja C. Jähnig Summary 1.,Hydromorphological river restoration usually leads to habitat diversification, but the effects on benthic invertebrates, which are frequently used to assess river ecological status, are minor. We compared the effects of river restoration on morphology and benthic invertebrates by investigating 26 pairs of non-restored and restored sections of rivers in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. 2.,Sites were grouped according to (1) region: central Europe vs. southern Europe; (2) river type: mountain vs. lowland rivers; (3) restoration approach: active vs. passive restoration and (4) a combination of these parameters. All sites were sampled according to the same field protocol comprising hydromorphological surveys of river and floodplain mesohabitats, microhabitats at the river bottom and habitat-specific sampling of benthic invertebrates. Restoration effects were compared using Shannon,Wiener Indices (SWIs) of mesohabitats, microhabitats and invertebrate communities. Differences in metric values between non-restored and restored sites were compared for 16 metrics that evaluated hydromorphology and the benthic invertebrate community. 3.,Mean SWIs differed for both mesohabitats (1·1 non-restored, 1·7 restored) and microhabitats (1·0 non-restored, 1·3 restored), while SWIs for invertebrate communities were not significantly different (2·4 non-restored, 2·3 restored). Meso- and microhabitat metrics in the restored sections were usually higher compared with the non-restored sections, but the effects on invertebrate metrics were negligible. 4.,Measures in southern Europe and mountainous regions yielded larger differences between non-restored and restored sections of rivers. Differences in the meso- and microhabitat metrics were largest for actively restored sections of central European mountain rivers and rivers from southern Europe, followed by passively restored mountain rivers in central Europe. The smallest differences were observed for lowland sites. There was no significant restoration effect on invertebrate metrics in any categories. 5.,Synthesis and applications. Restoration measures addressing relatively short river sections (several hundred metres) are successful in terms of improving habitat diversity of the river and its floodplain. Active restoration measures are suitable if short-term changes in hydromorphology are desired. To realize changes in benthic invertebrate community composition, habitat restoration within a small stretch is generally not sufficient. We conclude that restoring habitat on a larger scale, using more comprehensive measures and tackling catchment-wide problems (e.g. water quality, source populations) are required for a recovery of the invertebrate community. [source] Multi-scale occupancy estimation and modelling using multiple detection methodsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2008James D. Nichols Summary 1Occupancy estimation and modelling based on detection,nondetection data provide an effective way of exploring change in a species' distribution across time and space in cases where the species is not always detected with certainty. Today, many monitoring programmes target multiple species, or life stages within a species, requiring the use of multiple detection methods. When multiple methods or devices are used at the same sample sites, animals can be detected by more than one method. 2We develop occupancy models for multiple detection methods that permit simultaneous use of data from all methods for inference about method-specific detection probabilities. Moreover, the approach permits estimation of occupancy at two spatial scales: the larger scale corresponds to species' use of a sample unit, whereas the smaller scale corresponds to presence of the species at the local sample station or site. 3We apply the models to data collected on two different vertebrate species: striped skunks Mephitis mephitis and red salamanders Pseudotriton ruber. For striped skunks, large-scale occupancy estimates were consistent between two sampling seasons. Small-scale occupancy probabilities were slightly lower in the late winter/spring when skunks tend to conserve energy, and movements are limited to males in search of females for breeding. There was strong evidence of method-specific detection probabilities for skunks. As anticipated, large- and small-scale occupancy areas completely overlapped for red salamanders. The analyses provided weak evidence of method-specific detection probabilities for this species. 4Synthesis and applications. Increasingly, many studies are utilizing multiple detection methods at sampling locations. The modelling approach presented here makes efficient use of detections from multiple methods to estimate occupancy probabilities at two spatial scales and to compare detection probabilities associated with different detection methods. The models can be viewed as another variation of Pollock's robust design and may be applicable to a wide variety of scenarios where species occur in an area but are not always near the sampled locations. The estimation approach is likely to be especially useful in multispecies conservation programmes by providing efficient estimates using multiple detection devices and by providing device-specific detection probability estimates for use in survey design. [source] Assessing the suitability of central European landscapes for the reintroduction of Eurasian lynxJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Stephanie Schadt Summary 1After an absence of almost 100 years, the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx is slowly recovering in Germany along the German,Czech border. Additionally, many reintroduction schemes have been discussed, albeit controversially, for various locations. We present a habitat suitability model for lynx in Germany as a basis for further management and conservation efforts aimed at recolonization and population development. 2We developed a statistical habitat model using logistic regression to quantify the factors that describe lynx home ranges in a fragmented landscape. As no data were available for lynx distribution in Germany, we used data from the Swiss Jura Mountains for model development and validated the habitat model with telemetry data from the Czech Republic and Slovenia. We derived several variables describing land use and fragmentation, also introducing variables that described the connectivity of forested and non-forested semi-natural areas on a larger scale than the map resolution. 3We obtained a model with only one significant variable that described the connectivity of forested and non-forested semi-natural areas on a scale of about 80 km2. This result is biologically meaningful, reflecting the absence of intensive human land use on the scale of an average female lynx home range. Model testing at a cut-off level of P > 0·5 correctly classified more than 80% of the Czech and Slovenian telemetry location data of resident lynx. Application of the model to Germany showed that the most suitable habitats for lynx were large-forested low mountain ranges and the large forests in east Germany. 4Our approach illustrates how information on habitat fragmentation on a large scale can be linked with local data to the potential benefit of lynx conservation in central Europe. Spatially explicit models like ours can form the basis for further assessing the population viability of species of conservation concern in suitable patches. [source] Fruit fly liquid larval diet technology transfer and updateJOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2009C. L. Chang Abstract Since October 2006, the US Department of Agriculture,Agricultural Research Service (USDA,ARS) has been implementing a fruit fly liquid larval diet technology transfer, which has proceeded according to the following steps: (1) recruitment of interested groups through request; (2) establishment of the Material Transfer Agreement with agricultural research service; (3) fruit fly liquid larval diet starter kit sent to the requestor for preliminary evaluation; (4) problem-solving through email or onsite demonstration; (5) assessment on feedback from the participants to decide whether to continue the project. Up to date, the project has involved 35 participants from 29 countries and 26 species of fruit flies. Fourteen participants have concluded their evaluation of the process, and 11 of these 14, have deemed it to be successful. One participant has decided to implement the project on a larger scale. The 14 participants were, Argentina (Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus), Bangladesh (Bactrocera cucurbitae, C. capitata, and Bactrocera dorsalis), China (Fujia province) (B. dorsalis), Italy (C. capitata), Fiji (Bactrocera passiflorae), Kenya (Bactrocera invadens, Ceratitis cosyra), Mauritius (Bactrocera zonata and B. cucurbitae), Mexico (Anastrepha species), Philippines (Bactrocera philippinese), Thailand (Bactrocera correcta), Austria (C. capitata, Vienna 8 and A. fraterculus), Israel (Dacus ciliatus and C. capitata), South Africa (C. capitata, Vienna 8) and Australia (C. capitata). The Stellenbosch medfly mass-rearing facility in South Africa and the CDFA in Hawaii were two mass-scale rearing facilities that allowed us to demonstrate onsite rearing in a larger scale. Demonstrations were performed in CDFA in 2007, and in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2008; both were found to be successful. The Stellenbosch medfly mass-rearing facility in South Africa decided to adopt the technology and is currently evaluating the quality control of the flies that were reared as larvae on a liquid diet. [source] Are local patterns of anthropoid primate diversity related to patterns of diversity at a larger scale?JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2000M. J. Lawes Abstract Aims, (1) To determine the relationship between local and regional anthropoid primate species richness. (2) To establish the spatial and temporal scale at which the ultimate processes influencing patterns of primate species coexistence operate. Location Continental landmasses of Africa, South America and Asia (India to China, and all islands as far south as New Guinea). Methods, The local,regional species richness relationship for anthropoid primates is estimated by regressing local richness against regional richness (independent variable). Local richness is estimated in small, replicate local assemblages sampled in regions that vary in total species richness. A strong linear relationship is taken as evidence that local assemblages are unsaturated and local richness results from proportional sampling of the regional pool. An asymptotic curvilinear relationship is interpreted to reflect saturated communities, where strong biotic interactions limit local richness and local processes structure the species assemblage. As a further test of the assumption of local assemblage saturation, we looked for density compensation in high-density local primate assemblages. Results, The local,regional species richness relationship was linear for Africa and South America, and the slope of the relationship did not differ between the two continents. For Asia, curvilinearity best described the relationship between local and regional richness. Asian primate assemblages appear to be saturated and this is confirmed by density compensation among Asian primates. However, density compensation was also observed among African primates. The apparent assemblage saturation in Asia is not a species,area phenomenon related to the small size of the isolated islands and their forest blocks, since similar low local species richness occurs in large forests on mainland and/or peninsular Asia. Main conclusions In Africa and South America local primate assemblage composition appears to reflect the influence of biogeographic processes operating on regional spatial scales and historical time scales. In Asia the composition of primate assemblages are by-and-large subject to ecological constraint operating over a relatively small spatial and temporal scale. The possible local influence of the El Niño Southern Oscillations on the evolution and selection of life-history characteristics among Asian primates, and in determining local patterns of primate species coexistence, warrants closer inspection. [source] Pretreatment of barley husk for bioethanol productionJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Beatriz Palmarola-Adrados Abstract This paper reports on the optimization of steam pretreatment of barley husk for high pentose and hexose recovery in the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis step, as well as high ethanol yield, following simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. The parameters optimized in the steam pretreatment step were residence time (5,15 min), temperature (190,215 °C), and concentration of the acid catalyst (0 or 0.5% H2SO4). A microwave oven was employed for screening of the optimal conditions to obtain the highest sugar yield following combined pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. The final optimization of the pretreatment prior to enzymatic hydrolysis was performed on a larger scale, in a steam pretreatment unit. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation was carried out following steam pretreatment on 5 and 10% dry matter steam-pretreated slurries. Fermentability tests were performed to determine the effect of by-products (ie furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural) in the bioconversion of glucose to ethanol by baker's yeast. The maximum glucose yield, 88% of the theoretical, was obtained following steam pretreatment with 0.5% H2SO4 at 200 °C for 10 min. Under these conditions, a sugar to ethanol conversion of 81% was attained in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Fine-scale spatial structure in a grassland community: quantifying the plant's-eye viewJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2002D. W. Purves Summary 1The fine-scale spatial patterns of Agrostis stolonifera, Holcus lanatus and Lolium perenne were recorded in an English lowland grassland as presence/absence maps from 400-cell quadrats at two different scales (2 × 2 cm or 8 × 8 cm cells). 2Local spatial structure in these patterns was quantified using spatial covariance functions. Distance- and direction-dependent components were examined separately for both intra- and interspecific patterns. The significance of departures from randomness was determined using Monte Carlo techniques. 3The smaller-scale data showed that all three species were significantly aggregated, Agrostis to a greater distance (8 cm) than Holcus or Lolium(4 cm). The intensity of aggregation decreased in the order Lolium > Holcus > Agrostis. The larger-scale data suggested that this aggregation extended to greater distances, and that it was most intense in Agrostis. 4Despite the lack of visual directionality in the environment, Agrostis showed a directional pattern at both scales, with Lolium varying in the same direction at the larger scale. 5Only Agrostis and Lolium showed a significant interspecific relationship (segregated to 2 cm at the small scale, but aggregated to 8 cm at the larger scale). There was no evidence of directionality in the interspecific components of pattern. 6The nature of spatial structure appears to depend on the scale of observation, but the smaller-scale data are more likely to provide a biologically interpretable measure of local spatial structure in this community. [source] Latitudinal and altitudinal growth patterns of brown trout Salmo trutta at different spatial scalesJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2009I. Parra Spatial variation in growth of stream-dwelling brown trout Salmo trutta was explored in 13 populations using a long-term study (1993,2004) in the Bay of Biscay drainage, northern Spain. The high variability in fork length (LF) of S. trutta in the study area was similar to the body-size range found in the entire European distribution of the species. Mean LF at age varied: 0+ years, 57·4,100·7 mm; 1+ years, 111·6,176·0 mm; 2+ years, 155·6,248·4 mm and 3+ years, 194·3,290·9 mm. Average LF at age was higher in main courses and lower reaches compared with small tributaries and upper reaches. Annual specific growth rates (GL) were: 0+ to 1+ years, 0·634,0·825 mm mm,1 year,1; 1+ to 2+ years, 0·243,0·342 mm mm,1 year,1; 2+ to 3+ years, 0·166,0·222 mm mm,1 year,1, showing a great homogeneity. Regression models showed that water temperature and altitude were the major determinants of LF at age variability within the study area. A broader spatial analysis using available data from stream-dwelling S. trutta populations throughout Europe indicated a negative relationship between latitude and LF of individuals and a negative interaction between latitude and altitude. These findings support previous evidence of the pervasive role of water temperature on the LF of this species. Altitude appeared as the overall factor that includes the local variation of other variables, such as water temperature or food availability. At a larger scale, latitude was the factor that encompassed these environmental gradients and explained the differences in LF of S. trutta. In summary, LF at age in stream-dwelling S. trutta decreases with latitude in Europe, the converse of Bergmann's rule. [source] Improving food purchasing choices through increased understanding of food labels, using itemized till receipts to measure these changesJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 4 2008P.M. Rigby Background:, Rising obesity and the associated risks of diabetes and heart disease require changes in diet to bring about healthier eating. To achieve this, people need to understand nutrition and daily requirements but are frequently confused by nutrition information on food labels. The introduction of the Food Standards Agency's ,Traffic Light' and the alternative ,Guideline Daily Amount' systems may help or further confuse the public. A previous study showed that although 63% of study participants read labels, only 25% claimed to understand them, also knowledge of nutrient requirements and functions was low (Rigby, 2004). Ransley et al., (2001) have shown that till receipts can be used to estimate fat and energy intake. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether an intervention designed to improve understanding of nutrition and labels could improve food purchases and whether these changes could be measured from till receipts. Method:, Participants were recruited from the general public (80 female; 23 males) (age <30 years (23), 31,45 years (25), 46,60 years (30), >60 years (22). Subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 78) who were provided with an information booklet and credit card sized nutrition and labelling information to use when shopping, or the control group (n = 25), who received the information after four weeks of normal shopping. The intervention group provided an initial till receipt pre intervention and was then given the nutrition and labelling material. Further till receipts were returned from successive shopping trips over the following 4 weeks. The nine categories of food used for comparison were: fruit and vegetables, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, white cereals, wholegrain cereals, processed foods, full fat and reduced fat items. Ethics approval was obtained from NWW Wales NHS Trust ethics committee. Results:, Each of the nine food categories on till receipts were calculated as a percentage of the total shopping, excluding non-food items. General linear model repeated measures analyses showed differences between study participants' food purchases. For the intervention group, purchases in three of the nine food categories showed significant improvements: increased purchases of fruits and vegetables (P < 0.001); reduction in purchases of saturated fats (P < 0.001); and reduction of white cereal purchases (P < 0.050). The control group showed no differences in any category. Discussion:, Although the intervention group did show improvements in most of the other food categories, they were not statistically significant. Positive changes were found in seven of the nine categories, with only one, wholegrain cereals, showing a decrease in purchases rather than an increase. The control group displayed a random pattern over the four till receipts, with eight categories either showing negative change or no change; only one showed a positive change. The disproportionate group sizes may mean that it is not be possible to draw firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions:, This study demonstrates that positive changes in improving food-purchasing choices, as measured by till receipts, can be made by using educational interventions. Further larger studies using routinely collected supermarket data would enable the study to be replicated on a much larger scale. References, Ransley, J.K., Donnelly, J.K., Khara, T.N., Botham, H., Arnott, H., Greenwood, D.C. & Cade, J.E. (1991) The use of supermarket till receipts to determine the fat and energy intake in a UK population. Public Health Nutr. 4, 1279,1286. Rigby, P. (2004) Effecting change. Understanding nutritional information. Can increased knowledge and understanding in relation to nutritional information bring about a change in eating habits? PhD Thesis WA: Bangor University. [source] Thermal structure of the Alboran Domain in the Rif (northern Morocco) and the Western Betics (southern Spain).JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Constraints from Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material Abstract In the Rif (northern Morocco) and the Western Betics (southern Spain), the Alboran Domain forms a complex stack of metamorphic nappes including mantle peridotites (Beni Bousera and Ronda). We present in this paper new temperature data obtained in the Alboran Domain based on Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material (RSCM thermometry). In the lower metamorphic nappes of the Alboran Domain (lower Sebtides,Alpujárrides) temperature ranges from > 640 °C at the base of the metapelitic sequence to 500 °C at the top. The relationships between field isotherms and nappe structure show that peak temperatures were reached during strong ductile thinning of these nappes whereas they partly postdate this main episode in the Rif. In the upper nappes of the Alboran Domain (Ghomarides,Maláguides), generally supposed to be only weakly metamorphosed, temperatures range from ,500 °C at their base down to < 330 °C at the top. This temperature gradient is consistent with progressive Cenozoic resetting of K,Ar and 40Ar,39Ar ages. These nappes were thus affected by a significant thermal metamorphism, and the available age data in the underlying Sebtides,Alpujárrides show that this metamorphism is related to the metamorphic evolution of the whole Alboran Domain during the Late Oligocene,Early Miocene. Such thermal structure and metamorphic evolution can be explained by generalized extension in the whole Alboran Domain crustal sequence. At a larger scale, the present thermal structure of the Alboran Domain is roughly spatially consistent around the Beni Bousera peridotites in the Rif, but much more affected by late brittle tectonics around the Ronda peridotites in the Western Betics. Therefore, on the basis of the observed thermal structure, the metamorphic evolution of the Alboran Domain can be interpreted as the result of the ascent of hot mantle units contemporaneous with thinning of the whole lithosphere during an Oligo-Miocene extensional event. The resulting structure has however been dismembered by late brittle tectonics in the Western Betics. [source] Evaluation of selective composite cryogel for bromate removal from drinking waterJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 12 2010Solmaz Hajizadeh Abstract Bromate, which is a potential carcinogen, should be removed from drinking water to levels of less than 10,,g/L. A chitosan-based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and a sol,gel ion-exchange double hydrous oxide (Fe2O3·Al2O3·xH2O) adsorbent (inorganic adsorbent) were prepared for this purpose. The sorption behavior of each adsorbent including sorption kinetics, isotherms, effect of pH and selective sorption were investigated in detail. Sorption experimental results showed that the MIP adsorbents had better selectivity for bromate, even in the presence of high concentrations of nitrate, as compared to the inorganic adsorbent. It was found that pH does not affect the adsorption of bromate when using the inorganic adsorbent. Additionally, both adsorbents were immobilized in a polymeric cryogel inside plastic carriers to make them more practical for using in larger scale. Regeneration of the cryogels either containing MIP or inorganic adsorbents were carried out by 0.1,M NaOH and 0.1,M NaCl, respectively. It was found that the regenerated MIP and inorganic adsorbents could be used at least three and five times, respectively, without any loss in their sorption capacity. [source] Subject categorization of query terms for exploring Web users' search interestsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2002Hsiao-Tieh Pu Subject content analysis of Web query terms is essential to understand Web searching interests. Such analysis includes exploring search topics and observing changes in their frequency distributions with time. To provide a basis for in-depth analysis of users' search interests on a larger scale, this article presents a query categorization approach to automatically classifying Web query terms into broad subject categories. Because a query is short in length and simple in structure, its intended subject(s) of search is difficult to judge. Our approach, therefore, combines the search processes of real-world search engines to obtain highly ranked Web documents based on each unknown query term. These documents are used to extract cooccurring terms and to create a feature set. An effective ranking function has also been developed to find the most appropriate categories. Three search engine logs in Taiwan were collected and tested. They contained over 5 million queries from different periods of time. The achieved performance is quite encouraging compared with that of human categorization. The experimental results demonstrate that the approach is efficient in dealing with large numbers of queries and adaptable to the dynamic Web environment. Through good integration of human and machine efforts, the frequency distributions of subject categories in response to changes in users' search interests can be systematically observed in real time. The approach has also shown potential for use in various information retrieval applications, and provides a basis for further Web searching studies. [source] WATERSHED SCALING EFFECT ON BASE FLOW NITRATE, VALLEY AND RIDGE PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 5 2001Bruce D. Lindsey ABSTRACT: A study of stream base flow and NO3 -N concentration was conducted simultaneously in 51 subwatersheds within the 116-square-kilometer watershed of East Mahantango Creek near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania. The study was designed to test whether measurable results of processes and observations within the smaller watersheds were similar to or transferable to a larger scale. Ancillary data on land use were available for the small and large watersheds. Although the source of land-use data was different for the small and large watersheds, comparisons showed that the differences in the two land-use data sources were minimal. A land use-based water-quality model developed for the small-scale 7.3-square-kilometer watershed for a previous study accurately predicted NO3 -N concentrations from sampling in the same watershed. The water-quality model was modified and, using the imagery-based land use, was found to accurately predict NO3 -N concentrations in the subwatersheds of the large-scale 116-square-kilometer watershed as well. Because the model accurately predicts NO3 -N concentrations at small and large scales, it is likely that in second-order streams and higher, discharge of water and NO3 -N is dominated by flow from smaller first-order streams, and the contribution of ground-water discharge to higher order streams is minimal at the large scale. [source] GEOGRAPHIC SCALE AND FUNCTIONAL SCOPE IN METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE REFORM: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM GERMANYJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2006Joachim K. Blatter New dichotomies emerge, for example, "jumping of scale" versus "relativation of scales"; "deterritorializiaton" versus "reterritorialization"; "spaces of place" versus "space of flows." These dichotomies can be interpreted as different proposals and/or diagnoses in respect to the geographic scale and functional scope of emerging institutions of metropolitan governance. The paper aims to trace the empirical question of which direction we are heading by analyzing recent metropolitan governance reforms in six West German metropolitan areas. The findings show that there is a general trend to create soft institutions of governance on a larger scale as a reaction to global competition and continental integration. Beyond this commonality, we discover quite different institutional trajectories. The regions which are strongly embedded in the global economy tend toward a "deterritorialized" form of metropolitan governance with rather weak institutions characterized by large geographic scales and functional specialization. In contrast, the regions which are not as much embedded in the global economy have been able to create strong governance institutions on a regional level characterized by a rather small geographic scope and based on a territorial logic of functional integration and geographic congruence. [source] Recent advances in the biogeography and genecology of symbiotic Frankia and its host plantsPHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 3 2007David R. Benson Molecular phylogenetic approaches have begun to outline the origin, distribution and diversity of actinorhizal partners. Geographic isolation of Frankia and its host plants resulting from shifting continents and dispersal patterns have apparently led to the development of Frankia genotypes with differing affinities for host genera, even within the same plant family. Actinorhizal plant genera of widespread global distribution tend to nodulate readily even outside their native ranges. These taxa may maintain infective Frankia populations of considerable diversity on a broad scale. Arid environments seem to have distinctive actinorhizal partnerships, with smaller and more specific sets of Frankia symbionts. This has led to the hypothesis that some host families have taxa that are evolving towards narrow strain specificity, perhaps because of drier habitats where fewer Frankia strains would be able to survive. Harsh conditions such as water-saturated soils near lakes, swamps or bogs that are typically acidic and low in oxygen may similarly lessen the diversity of Frankia strains present in the soil, perhaps limiting the pool of frankiae available for infection locally and, at a larger scale, for natural selection of symbiotic partnerships with host plants. Recent molecular ecological studies have also provided examples of Frankia strain sorting by soil environment within higher order cluster groupings of Frankia host specificity. Future frontiers for ecological research on Frankia and actinorhizal plants include the soil ecosystem and the genome of Frankia and its hosts. [source] Transforming the Delivery of Rural Health Care in Georgia: State Partnership Strategy for Developing Rural Health NetworksTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 5 2003Karen J. Minyard PhD ABSTRACT: Since 1996, 19 networks covering 74 of the 127 rural counties in Georgia have emerged. This grassroots transformation of rural health care occurred through a series of partnerships launched by state government officials. These partnerships brought together national and state organizations to pool resources for investment in an evolving long-term strategy to develop rural health care networks. The strategy leveraged resources from partners, resulting in greater impact. Change was triggered and accelerated using an intensive, flexible technical assistance effort amplified by developmental grants to communities. These grants were made available for structural and organizational change in the community that would eventually lead to improved access and health status. Georgia's strategy for developing rural health networks consisted of 3 elements: a clear state vision and mission; investment partnerships; and proactive, flexible technical assistance. Retrospectively, it seems that the transformation occurred as a result of 5 phases of investment by state government and its partners. The first 2 phases involved data gathering as well as the provision of technical assistance to individual communities. The next 3 phases moved network development to a larger scale by working with multiple counties to create regional networks. The 5 phases represent increasing knowledge about and commitment to the vision of access to care and improved health status for rural populations. [source] Assessing priority areas by imperilled species: insights from the European butterfliesANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 4 2009S. Fattorini Abstract Biodiversity hotspots have been variously defined in terms of species richness, endemic species or imperilled species. The use of imperilled species to locate priority areas is particularly problematic, because an area that hosts a large number of imperilled species is likely to be under severe threats, making less effective conservation efforts. A possibly way to answer this problem is to assess species threats at two spatial scales. Then, areas which host concentrations of species that are imperilled at the larger scale, but not at the smaller scale, can be considered as priority areas where conservation efforts are expected to be more effective. An application of this procedure to the European butterfly fauna with the Biodiversity Conservation Concern index calculated with two IUCN red listings (European and national) allowed the construction of a four-celled model that reflects different types of conservation priority. This combined use of international and regional red lists may be a tool to make practical decisions (e.g. allocation of funds or legislative actions) to preserve imperilled species. [source] An evaluation of potential diets for the culture of postpueruli spiny lobsters Panulirus argus (Palinuridae)AQUACULTURE NUTRITION, Issue 2 2009S.L. COX Abstract Provision of a suitable feed is paramount for the ongoing success of spiny lobster culture. This study compared and evaluated the performance of seven diets for first instar juvenile spiny lobster Panulirus argus [5,6 mm carapace length (CL)] based on growth rates, survival, and feed conversion ratio. Results demonstrated that a seafood-based juvenile formulation produced the fastest growth rate (3.49% weight gain day,1 and 0.90% CL increase day,1 over a 28-day period). These growth rates were also reflected by a low feed conversion rate (3.04) for this formulated feed. Similar results were also obtained for juveniles fed a frozen seafood diet, however, frozen brine shrimp, Artemia salina (both enriched and un-enriched), frozen enriched mysis shrimp, a dry pellet, and a meal-based juvenile formulation did not produce consistent growth rates. Survival rates ranged between 38% and 85% and demonstrate that juvenile lobsters have better likelihoods of survival in captive culture environments compared to the wild. Although further nutritional refinement is recommended, the results from this research have significant implication for the possible expansion of juvenile spiny lobster growout to a larger scale. [source] Evaluating the effects of riparian restoration on a temperate river-system using standardized habitat surveyAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue S1 2010E. Clews Abstract 1.The restoration of degraded riparian zones to improve a range of functions is attracting increasing interest, but there are still questions about (i) how effectively restoration changes riparian or channel conditions; (ii) whether riparian management offsets the effects of wider catchment pressures; and (iii) whether these effects can be detected quantitatively. 2.A catchment-scale experiment was used to assess the effects of riparian restoration on riparian and channel conditions in the Welsh River Wye. In a hierarchically designed survey, variations in river habitat character were assessed among tributaries where riparian zones were recently managed for restoration (n=9 streams), unmanaged controls (n=12), intensively grazed pastures (n=3) and coniferous plantation (n=3). Management between 1997 and 2003, largely involving coppicing, was designed to exclude grazing through fencing in order to enable vegetation development while creating salmonid refuges. River habitat character was assessed using the UK ,River Habitat Survey' (RHS) method, with habitat variation quantified using Principal Components Analysis. 3.Stream habitats varied significantly among treatment categories. Streams draining plantation conifer had ,harder' channel features, while those draining intensively grazed pasture were characterized by finer substrata and more active channels than elsewhere. Riparian management reduced livestock trampling (= poaching) and increased algal cover relative to controls. Coppicing and riparian fencing successfully excluded grazing on banks while increasing in-stream vegetation cover, but did not affect substrata, flow-types and channel features. 4.These data show that RHS can detect habitat variation among streams in contrasting riparian land-use, revealing some apparently significant effects of recent restoration. We advocate longer-term investigations at reach to catchment scales to assess longer-term effects on channel and flow character, and to appraise fully the extent to which local riparian management can offset impairments at a catchment or larger scale, such as altered run-off regimes, sediment delivery and climate change. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Erosional vs. accretionary shelf margins: the influence of margin type on deepwater sedimentation: an example from the Porcupine Basin, offshore western IrelandBASIN RESEARCH, Issue 5 2009M. C. Ryan ABSTRACT A 1000 km2 three-dimensional (3D) seismic data survey that extends out from the western margin of the Porcupine Basin, offshore western Ireland reveals the internal geometry and depositional history of a large Palaeogene (Palaeocene,Early Eocene) shelf-margin. Two wells intersect the margin thereby constraining the depositional environments. The 34/19-1 well (landward end) intersects slope, shelf, marginal marine to coastal plain facies. The 35/21-1 well (basinward end) intersects seismically imaged shelf-margin clinoforms where base of slope back up to coastal plain deposits (source-to-sink) are represented. The basin-fill stratal architecture of the Palaeogene succession reveals sediment deposition under two end member, basin physiographic styles: (1) an erosional margin style and (2) an accretionary or progradational margin style. Uplift of the western margin of the basin is suggested as the major cause of the initially oversteepened shelf-slope erosional profile. Key characteristics of an erosional margin include sediment bypass of the shelf, canyon formation, and the development of significant onlapping submarine fan deposits on the lower slope. Failure on the slope is also revealed by several mass,transport complexes (MTCs) that carve out major erosive features across the slope. Three-dimensional seismic analysis illustrates variations in size, geometry and depositional trend and transport mechanisms of the MTCs. Confined, thick chaotic seismic facies, erosional basal scours and syn-depositional thrusting (pressure ridges) at terminus as opposed to thin, high-amplitude discontinuous facies with an unconfined lobate terminus are interpreted to indicate slump- and slide-dominated vs. debris flow-dominated MTCs, respectively. The erosional margin was transformed into an accretionary margin when the gradient of the shelf-slope to basin-floor profile was sufficiently lowered through the infilling and healing of the topographic lows by the onlapping submarine-fan deposits. This shallowing of the basin allowed nearshore systems to prograde across the deepwater systems. The accretionary margin was characterised by a thick sediment prism composed of clinoforms both at the shoreface/delta (tens of metres) and shelf-margin (hundreds of metres) scales. Shelf-margin clinoforms, the focus of this study, are the fundamental regressive to transgressive building blocks (duration 10,100 kyr) of the stratigraphic succession and can be observed on a larger scale (,1 Myr) through the migration and trajectory patterns of the shelf-edge. Trajectory pathways in the accretionary margin are accretionary in a descending or ascending manner. The descending style was characterised by a shelf-slope break that migrated seawards and obliquely downwards as a result of a relative sea-level fall. The descending trajectory geometry is lobate along strike suggestive of a point source progradation. Internally, the descending trajectory consists of downward stepping, steeply dipping shelf-margin clinoforms that display extensive slumping and deposition of sediment on the lower slope indicative of rapid deposition. Furthermore, basin-floor fans and associated ,feeder' channels extend basinwards beyond toe of slope. The ascending trajectory reflects a shelf-slope break that is interpreted to have migrated seawards during steady or rising relative sea level. The ascending trajectory geometry is associated with significant lateral sediment dispersal along the shelf-edge, reflecting distributary systems that were less ,fixed' or a greater reworking and longshore drift of sediment. Accretion involving the ascending shelf-edge trajectory characteristically lacked significant basin-floor deposits. Variable ascending trajectories are recognised in this study, as read from the angle at which the shelf-slope break migrates. Horizontal to high angle ascending trajectories correspond to dominantly progradational and dominantly aggradational shelf-edge trajectories, respectively. The sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Porcupine deltaic complex reveals a long-term relative sea-level rise. [source] Location analysis of DNA-bound proteins at the whole-genome level: untangling transcriptional regulatory networksBIOESSAYS, Issue 6 2001Béatrice Nal In this post-sequencing era, geneticists can focus on functional genomics on a much larger scale than ever before. One goal is the discovery and elucidation of the intricate genetic networks that co-ordinate transcriptional activation in different regulatory circuitries. High-throughput gene expression measurement using DNA arrays has thus become routine strategy. This approach, however, does not directly identify gene loci that belong to the same regulatory group; e.g., those that are bound by a common (set of) transcription factor(s). Working in yeast, two groups have recently published an elegant method that could circumvent this problem, by combining chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNA microarrays.(1,2) The method is likely to provide a powerful tool for the dissection of global regulatory networks in eukaryotic cells. BioEssays 23:473,476, 2001. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||