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Mangroves and economic development in Tobago: incorporating payment horizons, choice certainty and ex-post interviews in discrete choice experiments
Get PDFGovernments have long faced potential trade-offs between economic development and protecting nature. This is particularly true for tropical and sub-tropical islands where most mangroves are found. Motivated by Trinidad and Tobago’s central government’s prior hotel development plans, we employ a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to investigate residents’ preferences for mangrove ecosystem services (ES) in the Bon Accord Lagoon and Buccoo Bay, Tobago. Preferences were investigated in the context of a trade-off between conserving mangroves and promoting economic development through a hypothetical hotel project in the study area. We use a Hierarchical Bayesian Logit Model, exploring two distinct payment horizons, 5 and 25-years, undertaken independently and also merged in models that allow for choice certainty and individual characteristics. We find that respondents have consistent willingness-to-pay (WTP) for mangrove ES and exhibit general insensitivity to the payment horizons due to perceived disbenefits associated with mangrove loss from hotel development. The DCE and ex-post (follow-up) interviews suggest that there is strong public support for policies aimed at long-term protection of mangroves
From individual differences to neural substrates: the role of cognitive control in mitigating interference in working memory
Get PDFWorking memory, the ability to hold information in mind over the short term
towards a behavioural goal, plays a fundamental role in many of the cognitive
processes we experience as humans. Yet distractions and interruptions can interfere
with this ability. Cognitive control plays a key role in maintaining information in
working memory and resolving interference, but the neural underpinnings of this
process are not fully understood. This thesis explores the neural mechanisms of
cognitive control in resolving interference from irrelevant information in visual
working memory.
Chapter 2 explored how visual distractions impacted memory precision of
naturalistic objects, demonstrating that working memory remains robust despite
visually engaging distractors. Chapter 3 demonstrated that the dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), crucial for cognitive control, supports resilience against
distractions. Suppressing dlPFC activity with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
reduced memory recall precision, providing causal evidence of its role in mitigating
distractor effects.
To further investigate cognitive control, Chapters 2 and 3 examined the
relationship between individual differences in mind-wandering, trait worry, and
distractor mitigation. Whilst worry did not impair distraction mitigation—possibly
due to compensatory mechanisms—in a surprising finding, individuals with less
control over mind-wandering benefited from distractors, in which they may have
helped to refocus attention away from internal thoughts. In addition, pupillometry
revealed that fluctuations in cognitive control, reflected by pupil dilation, predicted
memory performance, and reflected cognitive efforts exerted in the presence of
visual distractors.
Chapter 4 investigated how cognitive control protects memory contents from
interruptions. Using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) data, memory content was decoded within the Multiple
Demand (MD) network during interruption tasks. Results showed that more
challenging tasks enhanced memory representations within MD regions, reflecting
the nature of cognitive control mechanisms in this context.
These findings deepen our understanding of how the MD system supports
flexible behaviour, and provide valuable insights for clinical interventions, i.e.
neuromodulation, aiming to improve resistance to interference in working memory
in conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and
dementia
Death of a matriarch: soap opera aesthetics, space and memory
Get PDFThe deaths of long-running, elderly characters offer up a chance to consider the ebb and flow and circular nature of soap narratives. This article uses the deaths of three of EastEnders ’s matriarchs to think about the soap opera’s use of aesthetics and space, alongside its layering of memory. Pat Butcher, Peggy Mitchell and Dot Cotton’s deaths – two on screen and one off – saw the programme intensify and disrupt its aesthetic and narrative conventions to signify these deaths as intensely emotional ‘events’. These endings were moments of pause in the ever-onwards flow of soap narrative. Long-running elderly characters embody soap memory, and through these deaths EastEnders revisited deep layers of its past to pay tribute to departing iconic characters by employing ‘practices of self-citations and self-referentiality’ (Holdsworth, 2011: 37). Here, objects and spaces, remembrances and returns are used to enrich the experience of long-time viewers. This article considers the use of Albert Square as a ‘time-rich’ (Lury, 2005:16) space and presents these episodes as examples of how the programme can shift its aesthetic conventions and unsettle its spatial dynamics for affective impact
Planning education and the field of practice: a Bourdieusian analysis
Get PDFIn the context of change and pressures to refigure formal planning education, the paper draws on Bourdieu’s field theory to frame the experience of graduates in initial planning education in the UK. The research situates education in a contested professional context. The findings hold import for the profession given that relevant knowledge is expanding, core knowledge must be retained and instilled early, while training about specific policy or process can be maintained over a longer run. Greater integration and coordination of education and training must be developed if the profession is to maintain quality and integrity, as well
as relevance
A focus group study to assess perspectives of patients with irritable bowel syndrome on human milk oligosaccharides and lifestyle insights
Get PDFAbstract
Objective To explore the impact of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) on quality of life (QoL) measures, with specific focus on
symptoms experienced and their impact upon diet, lifestyle, and mood. Insights into triggers of IBS flare-ups and the poten-
tial barriers to the use of prebiotics, in particular human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), will be used to inform the design of
a prospective human dietary intervention trial.
Method Five virtual focus groups were held between March 2022 and January 2023. Thirteen females and eleven males
were recruited around Berkshire, UK and through social media to attend a single, same-sex focus group. Thematic analysis
of transcripts was undertaken. Themes were organised using a semantic coding tree.
Results Low QoL in IBS was apparent. Triggers which resulted in worsening symptoms or flares discussed by the groups
were all consistent with well-recognised triggers for IBS in the literature and clinical practice. Few participants (6 out of 24)
had tried biotic-based therapies (e.g. probiotics, prebiotics) and knew little to nothing about HMOs.
Conclusions Individuals with IBS could be made more aware of novel therapy options such as prebiotic HMOs which may
improve IBS symptoms
How successive meteotsunami and storm activity disrupts saltmarsh vegetation
Get PDFMeteotsunami (meteorological tsunami) are globally occurring progressive shallow water waves with a period of between 2 and 120 minutes which result from sudden pressure changes and wind stress due to moving atmospheric systems. These waves are known to cause destruction to and loss of assets. Currently, there is no research into the impact of meteotsunami on coastal ecosystems such as saltmarshes, despite the significant role saltmarsh play in providing vital habitats for resident and migrating birds, natural flood defences and climate mitigation. As such the restoration of saltmarshes has emerged as a pivotal focus within the UK Government’s environmental policy framework.
This paper examines the impact of two meteotsunami events (2016 and 2021) on saltmarsh vegetation in the southwestern UK. An assessment of the vegetation pre and post event was undertaken using high resolution satellite imagery and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Results revealed that the 2016 meteotsunami exacted minimal vegetation change with a decrease in NDVI from 0.26 to 0.23 and a temporary reduction in coverage of 40%, suggesting a potential resilience to single episodic disturbances. In contrast, the 2021 event, compounded by multiple significant storms and additional meteotsunami, led to a decline in NDVI values from 0.44 to 0.22 and a temporary reduction in vegetation coverage of 66%. Both events indicated a short-term disruption with a relatively rapid rebound (within one to three months). However, the longer-term effects of such a disruption on the saltmarsh ecosystem need to be investigated further.
This comparative analysis underscores the complex interactions between meteotsunami, climatic phenomena, and coastal vegetation dynamics, highlighting the necessity for ongoing monitoring and research to understand the resilience mechanisms of such ecosystems in the face of increasing climatic variability and extreme weather events
Investing responsibly: what drives preferences for sustainability and do investors receive appropriate investments?
Get PDFInvestors increasingly want to hold portfolios reflecting their social and environmental values, and regulators in Europe now require financial advisors to consider their clients’ preferences for sustainability. Drawing on construal level theory, this paper examines the factors explaining the extent of retail investor demand for socially responsible investing. Using a psychometric questionnaire captured in a large database of real data arising from the interaction of financial advisors with their clients, we assess the impact of risk tolerance and capacity for loss on sustainability preferences as well as demographic factors. We employ regression analysis and logit models. By comparing clients’ strength of sustainability views with the ESG ratings of the funds they buy, for the first time we are able to identify the extent to which fund choices and sustainability preferences match. While investors with stronger desires for sustainability do hold more highly ESG-rated funds on average, the relationship is weaker than might have been expected. Perhaps surprisingly, a majority of clients for whom responsible investing is very important hold some unrated funds, while those for whom it is unimportant nonetheless hold highly ESG-rated funds in their portfolios. We therefore conclude that more focus on sustainability preferences is required when financial advisors make recommendations to their clients to ensure that retail investors get the portfolios they want
Recognition of Trogoderma glabrum (Coleoptera; Dermestidae) and differentiation from Anthrenocerus australis
Get PDFAs climate change progresses, the distributions and activities of many insect species are changing, in particular those that live out of doors. Trogoderma glabrum occurs widely across continental Europe Here we report on the occurrence of T. glabrum in Austrian museums and consider how to identify the species. It is compared with Anthrenocerus australis, a common pest in some historic houses and museums, and a species that
resembles T. glabrum both in terms of size and coloration
Farmland trees and integrated pest management: a review of current knowledge and developing strategies for sustainable systems
Get PDF1. Climate change and the withdrawal of several classes of agrochemicals from use are intensifying the challenges faced by food producers in controlling pests in crop systems. Integrated pest management (IPM), which uses a combination of pest control approaches, is therefore a focus in international initiatives to im-prove the resilience of food production.2. Integrating the greater use of trees and shrubs on farms within IPM frameworks offers a biodiversity-positive contribution to crop protection. For example, trees can modulate the prevalence and impacts of agricultural pests and their natural antagonists through direct and indirect interactions. The beneficial impact of farmland trees and shrubs on pest management in arable or grassland fields can be enhanced from an analysis of variables such as tree species and their spatial distribution on farms, insect-plant dynamics, population behaviours and soil management practices.3. The aim of this study is to synthesise existing knowledge and to assess the benefits and trade-offs between farmland trees and IPM strategies, building on gaps in knowledge identified by a stakeholder survey. Through this targeted review, we delineate the future evidence required to define and quantify the advantages that farmland trees offer as an element of IPM strategies.4. Practical implication. The development of regional biodiversity monitoring tools, which integrate landscape features such as trees, shows promise for shaping national policies to increase the adoption of IPM. There is a demand for user-friendly on-farm tools, adaptable to changing crop and pest priorities, that can support the alignment of the management of farm trees with IPM. However, basic and applied biological and ecological research are needed to inform and validate these decision-support tools and the capability to inform landscape-scale models
A machine learning algorithm to retrieve the red peak of phytoplankton absorption spectra from ocean-colour remote sensing
Get PDFLight absorption by microscopic phytoplankton in marine ecosystems is a crucial process underpinning biological production and global biogeochemical cycles. Accurate estimation of phytoplankton absorption coefficients, an inherent optical property of ocean water, can improve remote sensing applications including spectral photosynthesis models and assessments of ocean health, biodiversity, and climate change impacts. However, considerable uncertainty exists in current satellite retrievals of phytoplankton absorption coefficients, particularly for ɑph(676) - the phytoplankton absorption peak at red wavelengths near 676 nm - which is an input to several novel and advanced satellite algorithms. This uncertainty hinders operational use of algorithms for assessing phytoplankton physiology, size structure and oceanic carbon pools from space. We aimed to improve satellite-based estimation of ɑph (676) using advanced machine learning (ML) techniques. We compiled a comprehensive in situ dataset (n=1576) of ɑph(676) from published databases and matched with remote-sensing reflectance Rrs at six wavelengths (412, 443, 490, 510, 560, and 665 nm) from the Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative. We extensively evaluated multiple base ML algorithms: Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting Machines, and Linear Regression; and implemented ensemble ML models: RF with Grid Search Cross-Validation, eXtreme Gradient Boosting Ensembled Model, Ensemble Forecast, Stacked Voting, Optimised Ensemble and Meta Stacking, integrating the base models through cross-validated hyperparameter tuning. Meta Stacking outperformed individual ML models in predictive accuracy across temporal resolutions, showing best results with daily composites. Our study addresses key limitations of previous models, including small training datasets, inconsistent performances, and lack of ensemble comparisons. We present a robust, extensively trained and validated ensemble ML model that significantly improves ɑph(676) estimation and opens the possibility of routinely using in ocean colour remote sensing