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Atomic Spectrometry Updates. Review Of Advances In Elemental Speciation, Robert Clough, Chris F. Harrington, Steve J. Hill, Yolanda Madrid, Julian F. Tyson Jan 2014

Atomic Spectrometry Updates. Review Of Advances In Elemental Speciation, Robert Clough, Chris F. Harrington, Steve J. Hill, Yolanda Madrid, Julian F. Tyson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.


Parameterization Of Pharmaceutical Emissions And Removal Rates For Use In Uk Predictive Exposure Models: Steroid Estrogens As A Case Study., J. D. Heffley, S. D.W. Comber, B. W. Wheeler, C. H. Redshaw Jan 2014

Parameterization Of Pharmaceutical Emissions And Removal Rates For Use In Uk Predictive Exposure Models: Steroid Estrogens As A Case Study., J. D. Heffley, S. D.W. Comber, B. W. Wheeler, C. H. Redshaw

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Newly available prescription data has been used along with census data to develop a localised method for predicting pharmaceutical concentrations in sewage influent and effluent for England, and applied to a case study: the steroid estrogens estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol in a selected catchment. The prescription data allows calculation of the mass consumed of synthetic estrogens, while use of highly localised census data improves predictions of naturally excreted estrogens by accounting for regional variations in population demographics. This serves two key purposes; to increase the accuracy of predictions in general, and to call attention to the need for more accurate …


Rocky Shores: From Habitat Threat To Marine Awareness & Well-Being Benefits, Kayleigh Wyles Jan 2014

Rocky Shores: From Habitat Threat To Marine Awareness & Well-Being Benefits, Kayleigh Wyles

School of Psychology Theses

Previous psychological research has demonstrated the benefits of visiting natural environments, especially coastal areas. However, research within Marine Biology has shown that such visits can harm natural habitats. Consequently, this thesis uses an integrative approach to examine both the risks to the environment and benefits to the human visitors in the context of rocky shores (intertidal areas where solid rock predominates). This was investigated using seven studies that involved a range of methods. Perception-based surveys (Studies 1 & 2) explored the perceived impacts on the visitor, and the potential impacts these visits can have on the rocky shore. Study 3 …


'It's All A Question Of Business': Investment Identities, Networks And Decision-Making In The Cleantech Economy, Lucien Georgeson, Federico Caprotti, Ian Bailey Jan 2014

'It's All A Question Of Business': Investment Identities, Networks And Decision-Making In The Cleantech Economy, Lucien Georgeson, Federico Caprotti, Ian Bailey

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.


The Green Economy: Functional Domains And Theoretical Directions Of Enquiry, Ian Bailey, Federico Caprotti Jan 2014

The Green Economy: Functional Domains And Theoretical Directions Of Enquiry, Ian Bailey, Federico Caprotti

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.


Pulsed Melodic Affective Processing: Musical Structures For Increasing Transparency In Emotional Computation, Alexis Kirke, Eduardo Miranda Jan 2014

Pulsed Melodic Affective Processing: Musical Structures For Increasing Transparency In Emotional Computation, Alexis Kirke, Eduardo Miranda

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.


Occupational Exposure To Anti-Cancer Drugs: A Review Of Effects Of New Technology., Nitin Vyas, Dennis Yiannakis, Andrew Turner, Graham J. Sewell Jan 2014

Occupational Exposure To Anti-Cancer Drugs: A Review Of Effects Of New Technology., Nitin Vyas, Dennis Yiannakis, Andrew Turner, Graham J. Sewell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Because anti-cancer drugs are non-selective, they affect both cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Being carcinogenic and mutagenic, many anticancer drugs therefore present a major health risk to healthcare staff working with them. This paper reviews the means by which exposure to anti-cancer drugs in the workplace may be monitored, assessed and reduced. Both biological monitoring, using non-selective methods or compound-selective methods, and environmental monitoring have provided information on the nature and degree of exposure in the workplace. Pharmaceutical isolators, used for the compounding of cytotoxic IV infusions and the preparation of injectable drugs, provide a physical barrier between pharmacists and cytotoxic …


Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Of Biomineralisation In A Silicifying Haptophyte Prymnesium Neolepis, Grazyna Durak Jan 2014

Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Of Biomineralisation In A Silicifying Haptophyte Prymnesium Neolepis, Grazyna Durak

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Haptophytes are renowned for the most prominent and biogeochemically important group of marine calcifiers: coccolithophores. The unexpected discovery of a unique, silicifying member of this clade - Prymnesium neolepis - prompted questions regarding mechanisms of silicification and their origin in the calcifier-dominated haptophytes. To address these questions I used cell physiology, biochemistry and molecular approaches, investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in silicification in haptophytes. Comparisons of this system with calcification in coccolithophores and other silica-based systems in eukaryotes were also made. Here I report that P. neolepis is an obligate silicifier, producing silica scales in a process fundamentally different …


A Developmental Approach To Predicting Neuronal Connectivity From Small Biological Datasets: A Gradient-Based Neuron Growth Model., R Borisyuk, Ak Al Azad, D Conte, A Roberts, Sr Soffe Jan 2014

A Developmental Approach To Predicting Neuronal Connectivity From Small Biological Datasets: A Gradient-Based Neuron Growth Model., R Borisyuk, Ak Al Azad, D Conte, A Roberts, Sr Soffe

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Relating structure and function of neuronal circuits is a challenging problem. It requires demonstrating how dynamical patterns of spiking activity lead to functions like cognitive behaviour and identifying the neurons and connections that lead to appropriate activity of a circuit. We apply a "developmental approach" to define the connectome of a simple nervous system, where connections between neurons are not prescribed but appear as a result of neuron growth. A gradient based mathematical model of two-dimensional axon growth from rows of undifferentiated neurons is derived for the different types of neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord of young tadpoles …


A Note On The Krone Deposition Equation And Significance Of Floc Aggregation, Aj Mehta, Aj Manning, Yp Khare Jan 2014

A Note On The Krone Deposition Equation And Significance Of Floc Aggregation, Aj Mehta, Aj Manning, Yp Khare

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Steps Toward A Shared Governance Response For Achieving Good Environmental Status In The Mediterranean Sea, Sergio Cinnirella, R Sarda, Suarez De Vivero J Luis, Ruth Brennan, Alberto Barausse, John Icely, Tiziana Luisetti, David March, Carla Murciano, Alice Newton, T O'Higgins, Luca Palmeri, Maria Giovanna Palmieri, Pascal Raux, Sian Rees, J Albaiges, Nicola Pirrone, Kerry Turner Jan 2014

Steps Toward A Shared Governance Response For Achieving Good Environmental Status In The Mediterranean Sea, Sergio Cinnirella, R Sarda, Suarez De Vivero J Luis, Ruth Brennan, Alberto Barausse, John Icely, Tiziana Luisetti, David March, Carla Murciano, Alice Newton, T O'Higgins, Luca Palmeri, Maria Giovanna Palmieri, Pascal Raux, Sian Rees, J Albaiges, Nicola Pirrone, Kerry Turner

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Looking Forward Through The Past. Identification Of Fifty Priority Research Questions In Palaeoecology., A Seddon, A Mackay, A Baker, Et Al Jan 2014

Looking Forward Through The Past. Identification Of Fifty Priority Research Questions In Palaeoecology., A Seddon, A Mackay, A Baker, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Priority question exercises are becoming an increasingly common tool to frame future agendas in conservation and ecological science. They are an effective way to identify research foci that advance the field and that also have high policy and conservation relevance. To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of key questions and priority research areas for palaeoecology, which combines biological, geochemical and molecular techniques in order to reconstruct past ecological and environmental systems on time-scales from decades to millions of years. We adapted a well-established methodology to identify 50 priority research questions in palaeoecology. Using a set of criteria designed …


Functional Diversity Of Marine Ecosystems After The Late Permian Mass Extinction Event, Wj Foster, Rj Twitchett Jan 2014

Functional Diversity Of Marine Ecosystems After The Late Permian Mass Extinction Event, Wj Foster, Rj Twitchett

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Late Permian mass extinction event was the most severe such crisis of the past 500 million years and occurred during an episode of global warming. It is assumed to have had significant ecological impact, but its effects on marine ecosystem functioning are unknown and the patterns of marine recovery are debated. We analysed the fossil occurrences of all known Permian-Triassic benthic marine genera and assigned each to a functional group based on their inferred life habit. We show that despite the selective extinction of 62-74% of marine genera there was no significant loss of functional diversity at the global …


Comparative Studies To Assess Bacterial Communities On The Clover Phylloplane Using Mlst, Dgge And T-Rflp, A Prabhakar, Ah Bishop Jan 2014

Comparative Studies To Assess Bacterial Communities On The Clover Phylloplane Using Mlst, Dgge And T-Rflp, A Prabhakar, Ah Bishop

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to characterise the changes that occurred in Bacillus cereus group strains present in the phylloplane of clover Trifolium hybridum over 4 months. These strains had previously been analysed by multiple locus sequence typing (MLST). DGGE displayed many equally intense bands which indicated many equally abundant ribotypes. The bacterial community composition was variable and the leaves sampled as little as a week apart were found to have some temporal variability, indicating that diverse phylloplane bacterial communities follow sequential patterns from time to time. The B. cereus group …


Social Experience During Adolescence Influences How Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata) Group With Conspecifics, Tim Ruploh, Hans Joachim Bischof, N Von Engelhardt Jan 2014

Social Experience During Adolescence Influences How Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata) Group With Conspecifics, Tim Ruploh, Hans Joachim Bischof, N Von Engelhardt

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Do Muscle Synergies Reduce The Dimensionality Of Behavior?, N Kuppuswamy, Cm Harris Jan 2014

Do Muscle Synergies Reduce The Dimensionality Of Behavior?, N Kuppuswamy, Cm Harris

School of Psychology

The muscle synergy hypothesis is an archetype of the notion of Dimensionality Reduction (DR) occurring in the central nervous system due to modular organization. Toward validating this hypothesis, it is important to understand if muscle synergies can reduce the state-space dimensionality while maintaining task control. In this paper we present a scheme for investigating this reduction utilizing the temporal muscle synergy formulation. Our approach is based on the observation that constraining the control input to a weighted combination of temporal muscle synergies also constrains the dynamic behavior of a system in a trajectory-specific manner. We compute this constrained reformulation of …


The Fate Of Redundant Cues: Further Analysis Of The Redundancy Effect, Peter M. Jones, John M. Pearce Jan 2014

The Fate Of Redundant Cues: Further Analysis Of The Redundancy Effect, Peter M. Jones, John M. Pearce

School of Psychology

Pearce, Dopson, Haselgrove, and Esber (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 38, 167–179, 2012) conducted a series of experiments with rats and pigeons in which the conditioned responding elicited by two types of redundant cue was compared. One of these redundant cues was a blocked cue X from A+ AX+ training, whereas the other was cue Y from a simple discrimination BY+ CY–. Greater conditioned responding was elicited by X than by Y; we refer to this difference as the redundancy effect. To test an explanation of this effect in terms of comparator theory (Denniston, Savastano, & Miller, 2001), …


Parasitism In Early Life: Environmental Conditions Shape Within‐Brood Variation In Responses To Infection, Hmv Granroth‐Wilding, Sarah J. Burthe, Sue Lewis, Thomas E. Reed, Katherine A. Herborn, Mark A. Newell, Emi A. Takahashi, Francis Daunt, Emma J.A. Cunningham Jan 2014

Parasitism In Early Life: Environmental Conditions Shape Within‐Brood Variation In Responses To Infection, Hmv Granroth‐Wilding, Sarah J. Burthe, Sue Lewis, Thomas E. Reed, Katherine A. Herborn, Mark A. Newell, Emi A. Takahashi, Francis Daunt, Emma J.A. Cunningham

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

AbstractParasites play key ecological and evolutionary roles through the costs they impose on their host. In wild populations, the effect of parasitism is likely to vary considerably with environmental conditions, which may affect the availability of resources to hosts for defense. However, the interaction between parasitism and prevailing conditions is rarely quantified. In addition to environmental variation acting on hosts, individuals are likely to vary in their response to parasitism, and the combined effect of both may increase heterogeneity in host responses. Offspring hierarchies, established by parents in response to uncertain rearing conditions, may be an important source of variation …


Bedform Dynamics In A Rip Current, Antony Thorpe, Jon Miles, Gerd Masselink, Paul Russell Jan 2014

Bedform Dynamics In A Rip Current, Antony Thorpe, Jon Miles, Gerd Masselink, Paul Russell

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.


The Effects Of A Competitor On The Foraging Behaviour Of The Shore Crab Carcinus Maenas., Lj Chakravarti, Pa Cotton Jan 2014

The Effects Of A Competitor On The Foraging Behaviour Of The Shore Crab Carcinus Maenas., Lj Chakravarti, Pa Cotton

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Optimal Diet Theory suggests that individuals make foraging decisions that maximise net energy intake. Many studies provide qualitative support for this, but factors such as digestive constraints, learning, predation-risk and competition can influence foraging behaviour and lead to departures from quantitative predictions. We examined the effects of intraspecific competition within a classic model of optimal diet--the common shore crab, Carcinus maenas, feeding on the mussel, Mytilus edulis. Unexpectedly, we found that breaking time (Tb), eating time (Te), and handling time (Th) all decreased significantly in the presence of a conspecific. Reduced handling time in the presence of a competitor resulted …


Moving Beyond Too Little, Too Late: Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases In Wild Populations Requires International Policy And Partnerships, Jamie Voyles, A. Marm Kilpatrick, James P. Collins, Matthew C. Fisher, Winifred F. Frick, Hamish Mccallum, Craig K.R. Willis, David S. Blehert, Kris A. Murray, Robert Puschendorf, Erica Bree Rosenblum, Benjamin M. Bolker, Tina L. Cheng, Kate E. Langwig, Daniel L. Lindner, Mary Toothman, Mark Q. Wilber, Cheryl J. Briggs Jan 2014

Moving Beyond Too Little, Too Late: Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases In Wild Populations Requires International Policy And Partnerships, Jamie Voyles, A. Marm Kilpatrick, James P. Collins, Matthew C. Fisher, Winifred F. Frick, Hamish Mccallum, Craig K.R. Willis, David S. Blehert, Kris A. Murray, Robert Puschendorf, Erica Bree Rosenblum, Benjamin M. Bolker, Tina L. Cheng, Kate E. Langwig, Daniel L. Lindner, Mary Toothman, Mark Q. Wilber, Cheryl J. Briggs

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are on the rise due to multiple factors, including human facilitated movement of pathogens, broad-scale landscape changes, and perturbations to ecological systems (Jones et al. 2008; Fisher et al. 2012). Epidemics in wildlife are problematic because they can lead to pathogen spillover to new host organisms, erode biodiversity and threaten ecosystems that sustain human societies (Fisher et al. 2012; Kilpatrick 2011). There have been recent calls for large-scale research approaches to combat the threats EIDs pose to wildlife (Sleeman 2013). While it is true that developing new analytical models, diagnostic assays and molecular tools will significantly …


Toxicity Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles To The Earthworm Eisenia Fetida: Subtle Effects, E Lahive, K Jurkschat, Bj Shaw, Rd Handy, Dj Spurgeon, C Svendsen Jan 2014

Toxicity Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles To The Earthworm Eisenia Fetida: Subtle Effects, E Lahive, K Jurkschat, Bj Shaw, Rd Handy, Dj Spurgeon, C Svendsen

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Longitudinal Evaluation Of Quality Of Life In 288 Patients With Neurofibromatosis 2, Rosalie E. Ferner, Adam Shaw, D. Gareth Evans, Dympna Mcaleer, Dorothy Halliday, Allyson Parry, F. Lucy Raymond, Juliette Durie-Gair, C. Oliver Hanemann, Rachel Hornigold, Patrick Axon, John F. Golding Jan 2014

Longitudinal Evaluation Of Quality Of Life In 288 Patients With Neurofibromatosis 2, Rosalie E. Ferner, Adam Shaw, D. Gareth Evans, Dympna Mcaleer, Dorothy Halliday, Allyson Parry, F. Lucy Raymond, Juliette Durie-Gair, C. Oliver Hanemann, Rachel Hornigold, Patrick Axon, John F. Golding

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.


Combined Effect Of Rotation And Topography On Shoaling Oceanic Internal Solitary Waves, Roger Grimshaw, Chuncheng Guo, Karl Helfrich, Vasiliy Vlasenko Jan 2014

Combined Effect Of Rotation And Topography On Shoaling Oceanic Internal Solitary Waves, Roger Grimshaw, Chuncheng Guo, Karl Helfrich, Vasiliy Vlasenko

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Shallow Water Marine Sediment Bacterial Community Shifts Along A Natural Co2 Gradient In The Mediterranean Sea Off Vulcano, Italy., Dorsaf Kerfahi, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Binu M. Tripathi, Marco Milazzo, Junghoon Lee, Jonathan M. Adams Jan 2014

Shallow Water Marine Sediment Bacterial Community Shifts Along A Natural Co2 Gradient In The Mediterranean Sea Off Vulcano, Italy., Dorsaf Kerfahi, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Binu M. Tripathi, Marco Milazzo, Junghoon Lee, Jonathan M. Adams

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The effects of increasing atmospheric CO(2) on ocean ecosystems are a major environmental concern, as rapid shoaling of the carbonate saturation horizon is exposing vast areas of marine sediments to corrosive waters worldwide. Natural CO(2) gradients off Vulcano, Italy, have revealed profound ecosystem changes along rocky shore habitats as carbonate saturation levels decrease, but no investigations have yet been made of the sedimentary habitat. Here, we sampled the upper 2 cm of volcanic sand in three zones, ambient (median pCO(2) 419 μatm, minimum Ω(arag) 3.77), moderately CO(2)-enriched (median pCO(2) 592 μatm, minimum Ω(arag) 2.96), and highly CO(2)-enriched (median pCO(2) 1611 …


Seasonality Affects Macroalgal Community Response To Increases In Pco2., Cecilia Baggini, Maria Salomidi, Emanuela Voutsinas, Laura Bray, Eva Krasakopoulou, Jason M. Hall-Spencer Jan 2014

Seasonality Affects Macroalgal Community Response To Increases In Pco2., Cecilia Baggini, Maria Salomidi, Emanuela Voutsinas, Laura Bray, Eva Krasakopoulou, Jason M. Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Ocean acidification is expected to alter marine systems, but there is uncertainty about its effects due to the logistical difficulties of testing its large-scale and long-term effects. Responses of biological communities to increases in carbon dioxide can be assessed at CO2 seeps that cause chronic exposure to lower seawater pH over localised areas of seabed. Shifts in macroalgal communities have been described at temperate and tropical pCO2 seeps, but temporal and spatial replication of these observations is needed to strengthen confidence our predictions, especially because very few studies have been replicated between seasons. Here we describe the seawater chemistry and …


Comparison Of Intermittent And Continuous Exposures To Inorganic Mercury In The Mussel, Mytilus Edulis: Accumulation And Sub-Lethal Physiological Effects., D Amachree, Aj Moody, Rd Handy Jan 2014

Comparison Of Intermittent And Continuous Exposures To Inorganic Mercury In The Mussel, Mytilus Edulis: Accumulation And Sub-Lethal Physiological Effects., D Amachree, Aj Moody, Rd Handy

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Aquatic organisms are often subject to intermittent exposure to pollutants in real ecosystems. This study aimed to compare mercury accumulation and the physiological responses of mussels, Mytilus edulis during continuous and intermittent exposure to the metal. Mussels were treated in a semi-static, triplicated design to either a control (no added Hg) or 50 µg l(-1) Hg as HgCl2 in continuous (daily) or intermittent (2 day exposure, 2 days in clean seawater alternately) exposure for 14 days. A time-dependent increase in Hg accumulation was observed in the continuous exposure, while the intermittent treatment showed step-wise changes in Hg concentrations with the …


Gaba-Mediated Changes In Inter-Hemispheric Beta Frequency Activity In Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease, S. D. Hall, E. J. Prokic, C. J. Mcallister, K. C. Ronnqvist, A. C. Williams, N. Yamawaki, C. Witton, G. L. Woodhall, I. M. Stanford Jan 2014

Gaba-Mediated Changes In Inter-Hemispheric Beta Frequency Activity In Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease, S. D. Hall, E. J. Prokic, C. J. Mcallister, K. C. Ronnqvist, A. C. Williams, N. Yamawaki, C. Witton, G. L. Woodhall, I. M. Stanford

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Dietary Β-(1,3)(1,6)-D-Glucan Supplementation On Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology And Haemato-Immunological Profile Of Mirror Carp (Cyprinus Carpio L.)., H. Kühlwein, D. L. Merrifield, M. D. Rawling, A. D. Foey, S. J. Davies Jan 2014

Effects Of Dietary Β-(1,3)(1,6)-D-Glucan Supplementation On Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology And Haemato-Immunological Profile Of Mirror Carp (Cyprinus Carpio L.)., H. Kühlwein, D. L. Merrifield, M. D. Rawling, A. D. Foey, S. J. Davies

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

In recent years, aquaculture research has focused on probiotics, prebiotics, and β-glucans, in order to improve health status and growth performance. Information regarding the effects of β-glucan on growth performance and intestinal immunity of mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) is scarce. An experiment was therefore conducted to investigate the effects of a yeast β-glucan preparation (MacroGard(®) ) on growth performance, intestinal morphology and haemato-immunological indices of mirror carp. Carp (initial weight 11.1 ± 0.0 g) were fed highly purified diets supplemented with 0% (control), 0.1%, 1% or 2% MacroGard(®) for 8 weeks. Fish fed diets containing 1% and 2% MacroGard(®) …


Going Native? Flower Use By Bumblebees In English Urban Gardens., Mick E. Hanley, Amanda J. Awbi, Miguel Franco Jan 2014

Going Native? Flower Use By Bumblebees In English Urban Gardens., Mick E. Hanley, Amanda J. Awbi, Miguel Franco

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although urban gardens provide opportunities for pollinators in an otherwise inhospitable environment, most garden plants are not native to the recipient biogeographical region and their value to local pollinators is disputed. This study tested the hypothesis that bumblebees foraging in English urban gardens preferentially visited sympatric Palaearctic-range plants over species originating outside their native range. METHODS: Twenty-seven surveys of flower availability and bumblebee visitation (Bombus spp.) were conducted over a 3-month summer period. Plants were categorized according to whether they were native British, Palaearctic or non-Palaearctic in origin. A phylogeny of the 119 plant species recorded was …