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Optimising trait and source selection for explaining occurrence and abundance changes: A case study using British butterflies
No full text1.Functional traits that define the ecological role of an organism are increasingly being used to determine and predict responses to environmental change. Functional trait analyses of butterflies remain underexplored compared with other taxa, such as plants. Previous works using butterfly functional traits have not comprehensively addressed issues about the quality of trait datasets used and the relative predictive power of different trait types.
2.We compare the consistency of trait descriptions between six widely used trait sources for the British butterfly fauna. We analysed consistency of trait sources using Fleiss's kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient. Principal component analysis was used to produce species ordinations, comparing outputs to examine which trait sets were better at explaining recent species range and abundance changes within the UK.
3.There was a large range in congruence values for specific traits between sources. No single source can be relied upon to produce accurate trait information for British butterflies. Most trait sets are poor predictors of abundance and occurrence changes but are better at predicting current occurrence. An extensive trait set, supplementing biotope‐related traits with explicit resource‐based information recovers more informative ecological classifications and models than those primarily based on life‐history traits or biotope descriptors. Smaller trait sets do, however, recover the specialist–generalist continuum.
4.We conclude that analyses of distribution and abundance changes that rely on traits are highly dependent on trait source and trait type. For butterflies, traits that are based on measures of biotope occupancy should be avoided in explaining changes of abundance and distribution. Including trait information that describes their resource requirements is essential for such analyses
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Large Air Pollution Data
Get PDFAir pollution is one of the most dangerous environmental threats on our planet. Although it is severe in highly populated and industrialized cities of the developing countries, it is also a major concern for developed countries. In the developed world, the data are gathered from a large number of air pollution monitoring stations. Therefore, the volume of data is very high and it is not possible to analyze the data efficiently in real-time using the conventional methods. Large-scale data mining techniques can help in analyzing those data more efficiently and dynamically. In our paper, we propose a method to mine a large amount of air pollution data in order to find air pollution hot spots and time of pollution using clustering methods and time-series analysis and applied to the air pollution data of PM, PM and Ozone in the United Kingdom from 2015-17. The method is able to detect specific pollution zones of those pollutants in the UK. Furthermore, the pollution due to particulate matters was observed to be higher in the winter season whereas Ozone pollution was seen to be downwards trending except some areas
Personal and Professional Experiences of Self-Care in the Clinical Psychology Profession
Get PDFThis thesis aims to explore the personal and professional experiences of self-care in the clinical psychology profession, with a focus on personal therapy. In doing so, it seeks to add to the small literature base that explores the use of self-care by clinical psychologists.
Paper one is a review of the current literature that aims to synthesise the factors that contribute to the wellbeing of qualified and trainee clinical psychologists practicing in the United Kingdom. A total of 11 papers were included in the thematic review. Six themes were identified: Social Support, Predisposing Vulnerabilities, Organisational Change, Shame and Stigma, Being a Clinical Psychologist and Enhancing the Self. Overall, findings suggest that mindfulness, accessing personal therapy and seeking positive social support aid psychological wellbeing. Barriers to wellbeing include stigma and shame in disclosing distress, stressful working environments and avoidance behaviours. Positive training course relationships, supportive supervision, active behavioural strategies, and peer support are factors that could reduce these barriers.
Paper two is an empirical paper that explores the self-care experiences of a group of qualified clinical psychologists. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to develop the themes of The Toxic Environment, Identity, Self-Care, and Personal Therapy. The findings highlight the internal and external conflicts that clinical psychologists face when implementing self-care. Findings are discussed in relation to the clinical implications, in particular how to add to future research
Modelling Activities of Daily Living with Petri nets
Get PDFModelling Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) is an important step in the process to design and implement reliable sensor systems that effectively monitor the activities of the ageing population. Once modelled, unusual activities may be detected that have the potential of impacting upon a person's well-being. The use of Petri nets to model ADLs is considered in this research as a means to capture the intricate behaviours of ambient systems. To our best knowledge there has not been extensive work in the related literature, hence the novelty of this work. The ADLs considered in the developed Petri net model are: (i) preparing tea, (ii) preparing coffee, and (iii) preparing pasta. The first two ADLs listed are deemed to have many occurrences during a typical day of an elderly person. The third activity is representative of activities that involve cooking. Hence, abnormal behaviour detected in the context of these activities can be an indicator of a progressive health problem or the occurrence of a hazardous incident. The completion and non- completion of activities are considered in the developed Petri net model and are also formally verified. The description of the sensor system of the kitchen ADLs, its Petri net model and verification results are presented. Results show that the Petri net modelling of ADLs can reliably and effectively reflect the real behaviour of the examined system detecting all the activities of the users that can exhibit both their normal and abnormal behaviour
The Gaming of Players: Jamming Azad.
No full textThis chapter examines the prototyping of the game Azad, from Iain M Banks’s The Player of Games (1988). Banks clearly ‘designed’ Azad to be conceptual rather than actual, and was sceptical that it could ever be replicated. At the 72nd Worldcon ‘Loncon 3’, where Banks was a posthumous Guest of Honour, a group of games jammers, academics and fans spent several sessions developing prototype versions of Azad through an activity known as a ‘games jam’. The games made were not intended for commercial use; nor were they entirely functional. The jam instead produced a number of experimental, playful pieces intended to celebrate Banks’s work. A second remit of the sessions introduced non-gamers to some of the fundamental tools of games design. Promoting the ethos that games are for everybody, this chapter also suggests a wider context for the games jam, whereby it functions as a liminal space bridging possibility and playfulness, and serves as a space in which learning takes place through shared activity
The Structure And Meaning Of Emotion In The Philosophy Of Merleau-Ponty And Sartre
Get PDFThe aim of the thesis is to explore whether the early phenomenological works of Sartre and Merleau-Ponty can be used to create a satisfactory phenomenological account of emotion, and if so what the major concepts of this account are.
Sartre, throughout all the works examined, describes a wide range of emotions, emotional situations and behaviours. He expresses the embodiment of human existence, which can then be applied to its affective dimension. He also examines the relation between the qualities of objects and being, how they have meaning for us, and how the passions relate to our decisions and choices. He formulates the phenomenological characteristics of emotion and affectivity. His fullest and most explicit attempt at this in Sketch for a Theory of the Emotions is flawed, mainly because of his theory of emotion as a magical transformation of the world
Merleau-Ponty shows limited interest in the affective aspect of our relationship to the world. In The Structure of Behaviour he describes the structure of existence and consciousness, which details the integration of the physical, mental and cultural. This can be used to explain the physiological aspects of emotions and affects and their groundedness in the lived experience of the body. This continues in Phenomenology of Perception. Although his main focus is perception, he examines sexuality as a privileged area of our affective life. He also explores the way that we valorise objects in the world and make decisions based on our individual ways of being.
An interesting feature in both authors is the stress on behaviour. Here we see the close relationship between behaviour and existentialism, in its concern with the ‘movement of existence’.
I have formulated a synthesis of the major points arising from the close reading of relevant passages from the works concerned. This provides a framework for a general phenomenological account of affectivity and emotion and a basis on which analyses of the experience of particular affects and emotions could be undertaken
VIPCO: The Untold Story
No full textVIPCO: The Untold Story captures the history of the infamous and beloved old UK video label from the man himself Michael Lee. Appearing for the first time ever on camera to tell his story. VIPCO brought many bizarre and horror-related releases to the UK shores in the 1980s on home video and ended up getting caught up in the video nasty scandal.
Mark McKenna is credited as the producer for the documentary which was produced by Jason Impey and distributed first on Bluray by Vinegar Syndrom as part of the Spookies Bluray release and then subsequently released to Amazon Prime
Crafting resilience for later life
Get PDFA book chapter exploring the role of long-running craft activities in the lives of older women. It draws upon doctoral research which examined the meanings that older people attach to their participation in group arts activities throughout their lives. The chapter highlights ways in which craft activities are understood as both creative and social experiences, and both of these aspects contribute to resilient responses to the challenges of later life
Policing and Health Collaboration in England and Wales. Landscape review.
No full textThe links between health, offending and policing are complex but inextricable. Collaborative working between the police and health has a long history but is still not commonplace. This landscape review aims to consider the breadth of the subject, and also to look at emerging themes and to influence future approaches
Defeat and Entrapment in Bipolar Disorder: Exploring the relationship with suicidal ideation from a psychological theoretical perspective.
Get PDFObjective: Contemporary psychological theoretical models of suicide hypothesise that defeat and entrapment underlie the development of suicidal ideation. This hypothesis has never been tested in people who experience bipolar disorder.
Findings: Regression analysis revealed that defeat and entrapment significantly predicted suicidal ideation at four-month follow-up. The relationship between defeat and suicidal ideation was mediated by total entrapment and internal entrapment, but not external entrapment.
Conclusions: Results suggest that perceived defeat and entrapment underlie the development of prospective suicidal ideation in bipolar disorder. Findings could potentially improve the assessment of suicide risk in people who experience bipolar disorder
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