Widespread association between the ericoid mycorrhizal fungus Rhizoscyphus ericae and a leafy liverwort in the maritime and sub-Antarctic

A recent study identified a fungal isolate from the Antarctic leafy liverwort Cephaloziella varians as the ericoid mycorrhizal associate Rhizoscyphus ericae. However, nothing is known about the wider Antarctic distribution of R. ericae in C. varians, and inoculation experiments confirming the ability of the fungus to form coils in the liverwort are lacking. Using direct isolation and baiting with Vaccinium macrocarpon seedlings, fungi were isolated from C. varians sampled from eight sites across a 1875-km transect through sub- and maritime Antarctica. The ability of an isolate to form coils in aseptically grown C. varians was also tested. Fungi with 98–99% sequence identity to R. ericae internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and partial large subunit ribosomal (r)DNA sequences were frequently isolated from C. varians at all sites sampled. The EF4/Fung5 primer set did not amplify small subunit rDNA from three of five R. ericae isolates, probably accounting for the reported absence of the fungus from C. varians in a previous study. Rhizoscyphus ericae was found to colonize aseptically-grown C. varians intracellularly, forming hyphal coils. This study shows that the association between R. ericae and C. varians is apparently widespread in Antarctica, and confirms that R. ericae is at least in part responsible for the formation of the coils observed in rhizoids of field-collected C. varians

Using EcoYieldSAFE to compare soil carbon dynamics under future climate in two contrasting agroforestry systems

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Routine activities and proactive police activity: a macro-scale analysis of police searches in London and New York City

This paper explored how city-level changes in routine activities were associated with changes in frequencies of police searches using six years of police records from the London Metropolitan Police Service and the New York City Police Department. Routine activities were operationalised through selecting events that potentially impacted on (a) the street population, (b) the frequency of crime or (c) the level of police activity. OLS regression results indicated that routine activity variables (e.g. day of the week, periods of high demand for police service) can explain a large proportion of the variance in search frequency throughout the year. A complex set of results emerged, revealing cross-national dissimilarities and the differential impact of certain activities (e.g. public holidays). Importantly, temporal frequencies in searches are not reducible to associations between searches and recorded street crime, nor changes in on-street population. Based on the routine activity approach, a theoretical police-action model is proposed

(In)formalization and the civilizing process : applying the work of Norbert Elias to housing-based anti-social behaviour interventions in the UK

This paper uses Norbert Elias's theory of the civilizing process to examine trends in social conduct in the UK and to identify how problematic “anti‐social” behaviour is conceptualized and governed through housing‐based mechanisms of intervention. The paper describes how Elias's concepts of the formalization and informalization of conduct and the construction of established and outsider groups provide an analytical framework for understanding social relations. It continues by discussing how de‐civilizing processes are also evident in contemporary society, and are applied to current policy discourse around Respect and anti‐social behaviour. The paper uses the governance of “anti‐social” conduct through housing mechanisms in the UK to critique the work of Elias and concludes by arguing that a revised concept of the civilizing process provides a useful analytical framework for future studies

“Bibliostory—Educational Comic Stories.” A Social Constructivist Approach to Media and Information Literacy Education for Children and Adolescents

Our paper presents a theoretical background for a Polish comic book “Bibliostory—educational comic stories” (Pl. Bibliostory—edukacyjne historie komiksowe). The comic targets children between 9 and 12 years of age and youths from 13 to 16 years of age. Each story illustrates one issue, such as information searching, organization of information, plagiarism, and information problem solving strategy. Bibliostory is based on two constructivist pedagogical concepts: the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and case-based learning/teaching. These concepts, on application level, are first of all associated with designing educational situations and relationships between teachers and students (educators and learners). The aim of our paper is to present the possibilities of application of these concepts in the educational comic books. We describe the general assumptions of two concepts, then we focus on elements applied in Bibliostory project. We also provide a review of literature on the educational potential of comic books.Zuza Wiorogórska’s work was carried out during her stay as the visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, thanks to a scholarship from the Kosciuszko Foundation. Ewa Rozkosz’s work was carried out thanks to the grant awarded by the Faculty of Education of the University of Lower Silesia for the project “Społeczno-kulturowe podejście w projektowaniu materiałów edukacyjnych na potrzeby edukacji medialnej I inforamacyjnej dzieci i młodzieży na przykładzie »Bibliostory«” (nr 05/ WGW/dok/2016)

The normative evolution of corporate governance in the UK : an empirical analysis (1995-2014)

Purpose This paper aims to analyse normative corporate governance evolution in the UK between 1995 and 2014 against the benchmark of Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) regulatory principles. Design/methodology/approach Methodologically, the authors conduct an empirical, longitudinal data set analysis of the formative years of UK normative corporate governance development between 1995 and 2014. We provide a qualitative discussion of the empirical evidence that links the type of UK regulatory corporate governance development to financial market growth thereby adopting a mixed approach based on quantitative and qualitative research methods. Findings The authors find that compared to the OECD model of corporate governance, the UK model is less rigid following a more self-regulatory approach based upon a “comply or explain” paradigm. Thus it is scored below corporate governance systems that follow a compulsory implementation model. However, even with such “low” tilt towards formal shareholder primacy norms, the UK has the best performing financial market. As a quasi-empirical study, the authors suggest that there are several historical and economic reasons for this, which together with a robust rule of law in the UK contribute to this performance – and the law especially the type or tilt is less relevant. Originality/value This is the first of its kind empirical, longitudinal data set analysis with qualitative elements that links empirical evidence to regulatory developments in the wider context of UK corporate governance evolution

The English City Riots of 2011, "Broken Britain" and the retreat into the present

The responses to the English city riots of 2011 bear a remarkable resemblance to those of historical urban disorders in terms of the way in which they are framed by concerns over "moral decline", "social malaise" and a "lack of self-restraint" among certain sections of the population. In this paper we draw on the work of Norbert Elias and take a long-term perspective in exploring historical precedents and parallels relating to urban disorder and anti-social behaviour. We reject the notion of "Broken Britain" and argue that a more "detached" perspective is necessary in order to appreciate that perceived crises of civilisation are ubiquitous to the urban condition. Through this historical analysis, framed by Elias' theory of involvement and detachment, we present three key arguments. Firstly, that a 'retreat into the present' is evident among both policy discourse and social science in responding to contemporary urban disorder, giving rise to ahistorical accounts and the romanticisation of previous eras; secondly, that particular moral panics have always arisen, specifically focused upon young and working class populations and urban disorder; and, thirdly, that previous techniques of governance to control these populations were often far more similar to contemporary mechanisms than many commentaries suggest. We conclude by advocating a long-term, detached perspective in discerning historical precedents and their direct linkages to the present; and in identifying what is particular about today's concerns and responses relating to urban disorder

Clinical validation of the AMTAS automated audiometer

To validate the air- and bone-conduction AMTAS automated audiometry system. Design: Prospective study. Test-retest reliability was determined by assessing adults with AMTAS air- and bone-conduction audiometry. Accuracy was determined by comparing AMTAS and manual audiometry conducted on adults. AMTAS testing was conducted in a quiet room and manual audiometry in a sound booth. Study sample: Ten participants for test-retest reliability tests and 44 participants to determine accuracy were included. Participants had varying degrees of hearing loss. Results: For test-retest reliability the overall difference in air-conduction hearing thresholds (n 119) was 0.5 dB. The spread of differences (standard deviation of absolute differences) was 4.9 dB. For bone-conduction thresholds (n 99) the overall difference was 0.2 dB, and the spread of differences 4.5 dB. For accuracy the overall difference in air-conduction hearing thresholds (n 509) between the two techniques was 0.1 dB. The spread of differences was 6.4 dB. For bone-conduction thresholds (n 295) the overall difference was 0 dB, and the spread of differences 7.7 dB. Conclusions: Variations between air- and bone-conduction audiometry for automated and manual audiometry were within normally accepted limits for audiometry. However, AMTAS thresholds were elevated but not signifi cantly different compared to other contemporary studies that included an automated audiometer.http://informahealthcare.com/loi/ijahb201

Integrating belowground carbon dynamics into Yield-SAFE, a parameter sparse agroforestry model

Agroforestry combines perennial woody elements (e.g. trees) with an agricultural understory (e.g. wheat, pasture) which can also potentially be used by a livestock component. In recent decades, modern agroforestry systems have been proposed at European level as land use alternatives for conventional agricultural systems. The potential range of benefits that modern agroforestry systems can provide includes farm product diversification (food and timber), soil and biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration, both in woody biomass and the soil. Whilst typically these include benefits such as food and timber provision, potentially, there are benefits in the form of carbon sequestration, both in woody biomass and in the soil. Quantifying the effect of agroforestry systems on soil carbon is important because it is one means by which atmospheric carbon can be sequestered in order to reduce global warming. However, experimental systems that can combine the different alternative features of agroforestry systems are difficult to implement and long-term. For this reason, models are needed to explore these alternatives, in order to determine what benefits different combinations of trees and understory might provide in agroforestry systems. This paper describes the integration of the widely used soil carbon model RothC, a model simulating soil organic carbon turnover, into Yield-SAFE, a parameter sparse model to estimate aboveground biomass in agroforestry systems. The improvement of the Yield-SAFE model focused on the estimation of input plant material into soil (i.e. leaf fall and root mortality) while maintaining the original aspiration for a simple conceptualization of agroforestry modeling, but allowing to feed inputs to a soil carbon module based on RothC. Validation simulations show that the combined model gives predictions consistent with observed data for both SOC dynamics and tree leaf fall. Two case study systems are examined: a cork oak system in South Portugal and a poplar system in the UK, in current and future climate

Test Data Sets for Evaluating Data Visualization Techniques

In this paper we take a step toward addressing a pressing general problem in the development of data visualization systems — how to measure their effectiveness. The step we take is to define a model for specifying the generation of test data that can be em-ployed for standardized and quantitative testing of a system’s per-formance. These test data sets, in conjunction with appropriate testing procedures, can provide a basis for certifying the effective-ness of a visualization system and for conducting comparative studies to steer system development