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Endolymphatic sac use and reproductive activity in the lesser antilles endemic gecko Gonatodes antillensis (Gekkota:Sphaerodactylidae)
No full textGeckos are among the most diverse radiations of lizards; however, the lack of baseline natural history data on the reproductive biology for many species creates a challenge for predicting their long-term persistence. This study aims to fill a gap in our understanding of the reproductive biology of an enigmatic nocturnal gecko endemic to the islands of Curaçao and Bonaire: Gonatodes antillensis. Using radiographs of specimens from natural history collections, we conduct the first investigation of the potential role of endolymphatic sacs in the reproduction of the species. We find that females have larger endolymphatic sacs than males, with further quantification of endolymphatic sac sizes between females with or without visible eggs supporting the hypothesis that calcium stores are built up in the early reproductive phase and depleted during the development of the egg. Additionally, we combined data on endolymphatic sacs sizes with examinations of gravidity to expand the known reproductive interval of the species into fall and winter months and suggest the possibility of year-round reproduction. Along with providing baseline data, our findings raise a new conservation concern for the species. The spread of the invasive gecko Hemidactylus mabouia has resulted in a notable decline in the abundance of Gonatodes antillensis across its native range. This decline has been attributed to Hemidactylus mabouia acting as both a competitor and possible predator of Gonatodes antillensis. However, stress can inhibit calcium uptake in endolymphatic sacs, and these findings raise the possibility that Hemidactylus mabouia may also be indirectly affecting the reproductive success of this species.13 page(s
The Geopolitics of immigrant labour : a climate of fear
No full textIn general, the concept of workforce diversity has gained enormous support over the past decade, due to international politics of economic competition, technological progress, increasing emphasis on the importance of human rights, and immigration. The chapter discusses answers to the question: in the face of this consensus, why are xenophobic arguments (communicated worldwide through mass media) increasingly allowed to foster global climates of fear of, and resistance to, immigrant labour? Answers seem to lie in geopolitics and social pressures on governments that constrain them to discriminate against migrants and refugees seeking immigration. Reasons for this are discussed and possible remedies suggested.22 page(s
Do group dynamics affect colour morph clines during a range shift?
No full textSpecies exhibiting colour polymorphism are thought to have an ecological advantage at the landscape scale, because spatial segregation of alternatively adapted ecotypes into diverse habitats can increase the species' niche breadth and thus confer greater geographic range size. However, morph frequencies are also influenced by intrapopulational processes such as frequency- or density-dependent social interactions. To identify how social feedback may affect clinal variation in morph frequencies, we investigated reciprocal interactions between morph-specific thermal tolerance, local climatic conditions and social environments, in the context of a colour-morph frequency cline associated with a recent range expansion in blue-tailed damselflies (Ischnura elegans) in Sweden. Cold tolerances of gynochromes (female-like female morph) were positively correlated with local gynochrome frequencies, suggesting a positive frequency-dependent fitness benefit. In contrast, androchrome (male-mimic female morph) cold tolerances were improved following recent exposure to cold weather, suggesting a beneficial environmental acclimation effect. Thus, according to an environment-matching hypothesis for clinal variation, androchrome frequencies should therefore increase towards the (cooler) range limit. In contrast to this prediction, gynochrome frequencies increased at the expanding range limit, consistent with a positive frequency-dependent social feedback that is beneficial when invading novel climates. Our results suggest that when phenotypes or fitnesses are affected by interactions with conspecifics, beneficial social effects on environmental tolerances may (i) facilitate range shifts, and (ii) reverse or counteract typical patterns of intraspecific interactions and environment-matching clines observed in stable populations observed over broader geographic scales.10 page(s
Assessing risk of estuarine ecosystem collapse
No full textEstuarine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by coastal development and climate change. The large number of estuaries globally necessitates risk assessment to prioritise conservation efforts. Schemes for assessing risk of ecosystem collapse have been designed around terrestrial ecosystems, often defined by a single characteristic vegetation type, with their applicability to estuaries unclear. Here we consider the causes and symptoms of estuarine ecosystem collapse and assess, using a case study of the Chesapeake Bay, the applicability of ecosystem-level risk assessments to estuarine ecosystems, typified by mosaics of habitats. Functional estuaries are characterised by habitat heterogeneity and connectivity, maintenance of constituent habitats through recruitment, and a complex trophic structure including apex predators. Additionally, primary production and biomass are dominated by benthic, as opposed to pelagic, species. Hence, homogenisation of habitat types, decreased connectivity, recruitment failure, loss of apex predators and a decreased ratio of benthic to pelagic biomass may be symptoms of a trajectory towards collapse. In terrestrial ecosystems, criteria used for assessing risk of ecosystem collapse include declining or restricted distribution of ecosystems, degradation of the abiotic environment, changes in species composition and declining ecological function. As the boundaries of estuaries are typically defined by topography, rarely do significant changes in the area of the ecosystem occur. Furthermore, because the extent of estuaries is typically small, assessments based on area of occupancy may over-inflate risk. Instead, criteria based on abiotic and biotic changes, many of which are documented through monitoring programs, may be most useful for risk assessments of estuarine ecosystems.13 page(s
"Don't just do something … stand there!" Emergency responders' peri-incident perceptions of animal owners in bushfire
No full textINTRODUCTION: Narrowing the awareness-preparedness gap in bushfires (wildfires) means that new strategies and tactics will be needed to improve human safety and survival in this increasingly frequent and severe globally significant natural hazard. One way to do this is to explore the peri-event experiences of novel demographic groups living and working in at-risk areas to determine how best to strengthen a collaborative, mutually beneficial interface with emergency responders. Thus, this study included participants from one novel demographic, animal owners, in combination with emergency responders. Animal owners themselves are a large, diverse group whose preparedness and response behavior has not been assessed with respect to their potential contribution to contemporary natural hazard management. METHOD: Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions from four emergency responder classifications who were asked about their perceptions of animal owners in bushfire. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis because of its flexibility and suitability to this pragmatic qualitative study. Results from the first of 10 themes, chosen for its "overview" properties, are discussed in this paper, and indicate that exploring the animal owner-emergency responder interface has the potential to generate useful additions to public policy and expansion of social theory. CONCLUSION: Analysis of these data in this paper supports the potential for positive outcomes gained by reciprocal collaboration between animal owners and emergency responders. Some simple practical solutions are evident and two major outcome streams are identified. These are (1) policy development and implementation and (2) etiology of decision-making. Considerations and recommendations for research examining the efficacy of these streams and solutions are provided.10 page(s
Lexical tones and word learning in mandarin-speaking children at three years of age
No full textUnlike Indo-European languages, Mandarin relies heavily on lexical tones to distinguish word identity. Using the intermodal preferential looking paradigm, this study examined 3-year-old Mandarin speakers' ability to use Mandarin lexical tones in learning new words. Results showed that when children were presented with Tone 2 (rising) and Tone 4 (falling) pairs, children successfully learned both words. However, when children were presented with Tone 2 and Tone 3 (dipping) pairs, they learned the Tone 2 word but not the Tone 3 one. Children were then divided into two groups based on their learning performance on the Tone 3 word. Successful learning of Tone 3 words was observed in the high performers but not in the low performers, who consistently misused Tone 3 as Tone 2. This study showed that Mandarin speaking 3-year-olds could use lexical tones to learn words under experimental conditions, and that the difficulty of Tone 3 acquisition may be related to its lower level of perceptual distinctiveness compared with other tones.8 page(s
The factors affecting strategic change and the impact on performance in local governments
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 66-77.Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Literature review and hypotheses development -- Chapter 3: Research method -- Chapter 4: Results -- Chapter 5: Discussion and conclusion.The study examines the contingency factors that influence strategic change in local governments in Australia and the impact of strategic change on organisational performance. Specifically, the study examines the impact of organisational culture and the use of multidimensional performance measures on strategic change. The findings indicate that the strategic change is affected by the cultures of innovation, attention to detail and stability, and the use of multidimensional performance measures. However, the findings reveal that there is no association between strategic change and the performance of local governments. The study contributes to the body of management accounting on contingency literature and public management literature by providing an insight into the role of organisational culture and the use of multidimensional performance measures as contingency factors influencing strategic change and their associations with organisational performance in local governments. The findings may be used by managers to manage change effectively.1 online resource (85 pages
Living in elephant worlds: human-elephant relations on the fringe of forest and village in Assam, Northeast India
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 261-293.Introduction -- Chapter 1. A shifting human-elephant landscape -- Chapter 2. Feeding hungry gods -- Chapter 3. Uncertain encounters -- Chapter 4. Shared forest pathways -- Chapter 5. Scaffolding animals -- Chapter 6. The elephant and the iron horse -- Conclusion -- References -- Appendix.The worlds and practices of the people we study are not produced by human intention and action alone. They emerge in interaction with other organisms, materials, and forces that constitute a person’s field of relations. A multispecies or more-than-human approach to anthropology seeks to better understand other nonhumans’ co-determining agency in the formation of “human” worlds, and that to be human is to be subject to and shaped by interspecies relations.Elephants have played an important role in the formation of South and South East Asia. Certain histories, environments, societies, and cultures that constitute the region have emerged from the wild and captive relationships between human and elephant. Inhabiting a shared environment, these two socially and cognitively complex animals have over time become deeply entangled, interconnected along ecological, social, and behavioural dimensions. This thesis is a more-than-human anthropology and ethnoelephantology of human-elephant relations. Data is drawn from 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Assam, Northeast India studying communities who lived on the fringes of elephant-bearing forest. This research will seek to: untangle the factors that bind the two species and reproduce their interactions across time; examine how humans and elephants coordinate and mutually affect each other’s behaviour; map how their respective habitats and perspectives coincide, and; understand how religious and other beliefs about elephants shape the dynamics of their interaction.Studies of human-elephant interaction in the conservation and animal sciences tend to characterise the relationship as one of conflict and domination. This thesis explores modes of relation that are beyond this oppositional dynamic. Ethnographic observations resist efforts to situate each animal as belonging to incommensurable sides of the nature-society divide. Human and elephant worlds in Assam overlap and are deeply enmeshed. Across a single landscape, the interspecies dynamic is multifaceted, variation depending upon material and symbolic, social and ecological aspects. The perceptions and behaviours of both animals intersect at negotiated junctures, sometimes from radically different positions and intentions, and other times aligning in surprising ways, but always co-constituting the other as they learn to inhabit a shared environment.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xii, 296 pages) colour illustrations, colour map
The competition of memory and expectation in resolving long-distance dependencies: psycholinguistic evidence from Persian complex predicates
No full textThesis by publication."PhD thesis to obtain the joint degree of PhD at theUniversity of Groningen, the University of Potsdam, the University of Trento, Newcastle University and Macquarie University" -- title page.Bibliography: pages 180-186.1. General introduction -- 2. To what extent we can predict the exact identity of the verb in Persian separable complex predicates? -- 3. Long-distance dependency resolution in Persian (I): evidence from self-paced reading studies on separable complex predicates -- 4. Long-distance dependency resolution in Persian : evidence from eye-tracking studies on separable complex predicates -- 5. Discussion and conclusion -- Appendices -- References.In the literature of sentence processing, there are two seemingly contradicting accounts for resolving long-distance dependencies: (1) memory-based account according to which delaying the appearance of a verb in a noun-verb dependency tends to increase the processing difficulty at the position of verb leading to the socalled locality effect (Gibson, 2000), and (2) expectation-based account, based on which the verb becomes even more predictable and easier to process due to this delay leading to the so-called surprisal effect as the reader is highly expecting the verb (Levy, 2008). Levy and colleagues (2013) argue that the verb-medial languages tend to exhibit the general patterns predicted by memory-based theories, while verb-final languages tend to exhibit the general pattern predicated by expectation-based theories.We aimed to investigate these two accounts on Complex Predicates in Persian as a verb-final language in which multiple-word verbs (i.e., complex predicates) are more widely-used as compared the one-word verbs. To this purpose, four psycholinguistic experiments (two masked self-paced reading studies and two eyetracking studies) with four pre-tests (two sentence-completion studies, one acceptability rating study, and one corpus study) with a total of 279 participants were conducted in different homogenous groups of native Persian speakers with no history of cognitive disorders and normal or corrected-to-normal eye-sight. In our experimental design (2x2), we opposed complex predicate conditions to simple predicate conditions and manipulated the stimuli by two factors of distance (i.e.,short conditions versus long conditions) and predictability (i.e., strong predictability versus weak predictability). The intervener in the first self-paced reading study and the first eye-tracking study was a short prepositional phrase in the short conditions and a prepositional phrase plus a relative clause in the long conditions. In the second self-paced reading and the second eye-tracking studies, the intervener consisted of the same short prepositional phrase in the short conditions whereas it was a long uninterrupted prepositional phrase in the long conditions. We decided to keep th esame type of intervener in the long conditions of the second design in order to find out if the type of intervener affects the processing difficulty.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xiii, 204 pages) diagrams, graphs, table
Spiritual pregnancy and holy women: exploring the mystical maternity of St Birgitta (d.1373) and Joanna Southcott (d.1814)
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 55-61.Introduction -- Chapter 1. Medieval holy women, sanctity, and authority -- Chapter 2. St Birgitta and spiritual pregnancy -- Chapter 3. Early modern holy women and religion, millennialism, and spiritual motherhood -- Chapter 4. Joanna Southcott and spiritual pregnancy -- Conclusion -- Bibliography.Spiritual or mystical pregnancy is a relatively unexplored phenomenon which occurs repeatedly across time. This thesis examines the meaning of being somatically ‘pregnant’ with the Holy Spirit through the accounts of St Birgitta and Joanna Southcott. It explores how medieval holy women who claimed to experience direct access to God imitated the Virgin Mary’s incarnation of Christ through mystical pregnancy. In mimicking Mary, female mystics like St Birgitta assumed the prophetic wisdom and knowledge that Mary was reported to gain upon the Annunciation of Christ. St Birgitta’s spiritual pregnancy legitimated her role as a spiritual mother and female saviour, as well as authorising her to intervene in political and religious disputes. The Virgin Mary is also known as the Second Eve and is central to early modern accounts of spiritual motherhood. Joanna Southcott, a millennial prophetess who self-identified as ‘the Woman Clothed with The Sun’ from the Book of Revelation, also used the Marian archetype in her spiritual pregnancy to emphasize her sanctity and the divine origin of her prophecies. This thesis argues that spiritual pregnancy is more than an external sign of inward holiness; it is a strategy which holy women used to subvert the patriarchal religious culture, and which enables them to ‘mother’ or minister to their religious community. Holy women used the Christian concept of salvation through spiritual motherhood across diverging time periods, places, and theologies.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (61 pages