3,147 research outputs found
jamesrco/LipidPhotoOxBox: LipidPhotoOxBox v1.0.0
No full textInitial release of data and code in LipidPhotoOxBox to support Collins, J. R., H. F. Fredricks, J. M. Diaz, J. S. Bowman, C. P. Ward, C. Moreno, K. Longnecker, A. Marchetti, C. M. Hansel, H. W. Ducklow, and B. A. S. Van Mooy (2017), The diverse products and biogeochemical significance of lipid photooxidation in coastal surface waters of West Antarctica
Sunlight-driven dissolution is a major fate of oil at sea
No full text© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Freeman, D. H., & Ward, C. P. Sunlight-driven dissolution is a major fate of oil at sea. Science Advances, 8(7), (2022): eabl7605, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl7605.Oxygenation reactions initiated by sunlight can transform insoluble components of crude oil at sea into water-soluble products, a process called photo-dissolution. First reported a half century ago, photo-dissolution has never been included in spill models because key parameters required for rate modeling were unknown, including the wavelength and photon dose dependence. Here, we experimentally quantified photo-dissolution as a function of wavelength and photon dose, making possible a sensitivity analysis of environmental variables in hypothetical spill scenarios and a mass balance assessment for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DwH) spill. The sensitivity analysis revealed that rates were most sensitive to oil slick thickness, season/latitude, and wavelength and less sensitive to photon dose. We estimate that 3 to 17% (best estimate 8%) of DwH surface oil was subject to photo-dissolution, comparable in magnitude to other widely recognized fate processes. Our findings invite a critical reevaluation of surface oil budgets for both DwH and future spills at sea.This work was supported by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Multi-Partner Research Initiative award to C.P.W. (project #1.06), the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awarded to D.H.F. (award #174530), and NSF-OCE grant #1841092 to C.P.W
Opinion: we need better data about the environmental persistence of plastic goods
No full textAuthor Posting. © National Academy of Sciences, 2020. This article is posted here by permission of National Academy of Sciences for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117(26), (2020): 14618-14621, doi:10.1073/pnas.2008009117.Plastic pollution is one of the most visible and complex environmental issues today. Interested and concerned parties include researchers, governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, industry, media, and the general public. One key assumption behind the issue and the public outcry is that plastics last indefinitely in the environment, resulting in chronic exposure that harms animals and humans. But the data supporting this assumption are scant.We thank Briana Prado, Cassia Armstrong, and Anna Walsh for their help with the review, Kenneth Kostel, Katie Linehan, Daniel Ward, and Rose Cory for feedback on an earlier version of this piece, John Furfey for assistance with tracking down the original sources of the environmental lifetime estimates, and Natalie Reiner for help with Fig. 1. We acknowledge financial support from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, MA) and the Seaver Institute (Los Angeles, CA).2020-12-1
Rapid degradation of cellulose diacetate by marine microbes
No full text© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Mazzotta, M. G., Reddy, C. M., & Ward, C. P. Rapid degradation of cellulose diacetate by marine microbes. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 9(1), (2022): 37-41. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00843.The persistence of cellulose diacetate (CDA), a biobased plastic used in textiles and single-use consumer products, in the ocean is currently unknown. Here, we probe the disintegration and degradation of CDA-based materials (25 μm films, 510 μm foam, and 97 g/m2 fabric) by marine microbes in a continuous flow seawater mesocosm. Photographic evidence and mass loss measurements demonstrate that CDA-based materials disintegrate in months. Disintegration is marked by the increasing esterase and cellulase activity of the biofilm community, suggesting that marine microbes degrade CDA. The natural abundance stable (13C) and radiocarbon (14C) isotopic signature of carbon dioxide respired during short-term bottle incubations confirms the rapid degradation of both acetyl and cellulosic components of CDA by seawater microbial communities. These findings challenge the paradigm set by governmental agencies and advocacy groups that CDA-based materials persist in the ocean for decades, and represent a positive step toward identifying high-utility, biobased plastics with low environmental persistence.M.G.M., C.M.R., and C.P.W. thank Eastman Chemical Co. and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for scientific and financial support
Dynamics of Network Formation Processes in the Co-Author Model
No full textThis article studies the dynamics in the formation processes of a mutual consent network in game theory setting: the Co-Author Model. In this article, a limited observation is applied and analytical results are derived. Then, 2 parameters are varied: the number of individuals in the network and the initial probability of the links in the network in its initial state. A simulation result shows a finding that is consistent with an analytical result for a state of equilibrium while it also shows different possible equilibria.Dynamics, Network, Game Theory, Model,Simulation, Equilibrium, Complexity
"Disney is the Tiffany’s and I am the Woolworth's of the business": A critical re-analysis of the business philosophies, production values and studio practices of animator-producer Paul Houlton Terry
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Animator-producer Paul Houlton Terry has been portrayed as having little passion for the animation he produced and being more concerned with making a profit than producing entertaining cartoons with high production values. The purpose of the dissertation is to re-evaluate Terry‘s legacy to animated cartooning by analyzing his business philosophies, production values, and studio practices.
Application of four psychodynamic factors to the early life and career of Terry, 1887-1929, found that his economic decision making was characterized by: an external locus of control, risk-averse financial behaviour, extreme saving behaviour through precaution, and shrewd money management practices. Based on Terry‘s historical responses to twelve major economic, technological, or institutional forces of change for the period 1929-1955, the psychodynamic factors were found to provide accurate explanations for his studio practices and production decisions.
There was no evidence to support the conclusion that three early career disappointments undermined Terry‘s intrinsic motivation to create animated cartoons. Rather, Terry‘s lack of risk taking, external locus of control, tight studio production schedule, desire to compete with neighbour studio Fleischer, difficulty in separating financial rewards from creative processes in animation, and practice of undertaking surveillance measures on staff may have undermined his and his studio‘s creativity. Archival research found Terry to possess strong passions for and to have made significant creative contributions to the field of animation.
Biographical research found that Terry retained a stable nucleus of highly talented artists who dedicated a significant portion of their working careers to the studio. An analysis of the cel aesthetics of a random sample of animated cartoons produced during the years 1930-1955 found that Terry created animated cartoons with above average cel aesthetics when compared to the other studios thereby supporting an inference that Terry was motivated to producing quality crafted animation. Further research is suggested into the role psychodynamic factors and economic decision-making play in the film production process and a clarification of Terry‘s legacy to the field of animated cartoons
How does fair trade, as practised by Trade Aid and MINKA, contribute to the aspirations of Quechua producers in Peru?
No full textAs part of a Master of Indigenous Studies from the University of Otago, Trade Aid staff member, Michelia Ward, conducted research throughout 2011 and 2012 on whether fair trade is able to contribute to the aspirations of indigenous producers. The research focused on fair trade as practiced by Trade Aid, New Zealand and one of its Peruvian partners, MINKA.Fair trade is a development mechanism that aims to support food and craft producers around the world to improve their lives through trade. Many indigenous communities are producers of craft or food products such as woven textiles and coffee, and have engaged in fair trade relationships selling mainly to Western consumers. Fair trade organisations have universal principles that provide guarantees to consumers about working conditions, fair payment and trading relations with producer groups. This research project focuses on whether a universal framework designed to bring development to disadvantaged and marginalized producers can work for unique indigenous cultures across multiple continents. This research focuses on Trade Aid in New Zealand and their partnership with a Peruvian fair trade organisation, MINKA, who works with Quechua producers in the Andes. Indigenous theorists place large value on local epistemes (knowledge systems) and local solutions to local problems. Is fair trade one of these local solutions, or just another solution imposed from the outside upon indigenous producers
Music Hospital: An acceptability study of music therapy activities in a psychiatric ward through listening and analysis of author tunes
No full text: A study was conducted on the acceptability of a music therapy intervention in a group context, in a psychiatric ward where people with acute psychopathological conditions are hospitalized. The objectives of the intervention are both therapeutic (stress reduction) and informative-descriptive, on topics ranging from stress management, to the first signs of crisis and drugs. For this purpose, musical stimuli provided by the presentation, listening and analysis of author's pieces were used, through the diffusion of pleasant sounds at moderate rhythm and volume among patients and operators. Acceptability was assessed through a satisfaction questionnaire. The responses to the questionnaire were very positive, confirming the narrative observations of the operators who found favorable ways of interacting with the patients with whom they shared the activity in all its contents. Participation in the music therapy intervention in a group context led users to an improvement in their stress management skills and to a more positive adaptation to the condition of hospitalization
The Presence of a Clinical Informationist on Ward Rounds: An Action Research Study
No full textThis study was conducted with the aim of involving Clinical Informationists (CI) in the hospital setting. It is fundamental-applied research done in an action research method. The research was conducted in the gastrointestinal ward of Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The time covered was 2015–2019. Qualitative content analysis and concept mapping were used to analyze the data. Based on the first three steps of Action research, a CI participated in ward round sessions. In the fourth step strengths and weaknesses of the services were explored. In the fifth stage, existing problems, gaps in the way of providing this service, and suggestions were presented. The members of the clinical team were satisfied with the participation of the CI, but in order to improve this participation, technical, structural and individual problems and obstacles are required be addressed. © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Relational comparisons: the assembling of Cleveland’s waterfront plan
No full textThis paper uses the ongoing attempts to redevelop the Cleveland waterfront to reveal the relational comparative geographies that are present in a number of contemporary urban revalorization strategies. It draws on archival papers, semi-structured interviews, and the local grey literature to make three contributions to the existing urban-global studies literature. First, the paper argues that many contemporary waterfront and other similar redevelopment schemes are inherently comparative, with a significant amount of seemingly territorial politics and urban policy making characterized by actors’ engagements with places elsewhere. Second, it shows that the framing of urban policy through relational comparisons is an established practice in many cities and that current redevelopment plans should be understood as informed by previous rounds of relational and territorial policy making. Third, it points to the importance of consultants in the current era – as examples of actors of transference – in shaping not only redevelopment plans but also the framing of the city in relation to other cities
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