22,637 research outputs found
High-resolution coproecology: using coprolites to reconstruct the habits and habitats of New Zealand's extinct upland Moa (Megalapteryx didinus)
Full text linkKnowledge about the diet and ecology of extinct herbivores has important implications for understanding the evolution of plant defence structures, establishing the influences of herbivory on past plant community structure and composition, and identifying pollination and seed dispersal syndromes. The flightless ratite moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) were New Zealand’s largest herbivores prior to their extinction soon after initial human settlement. Here we contribute to the knowledge of moa diet and ecology by reporting the results of a multidisciplinary study of 35 coprolites from a subalpine cave (Euphrates Cave) on the South Island of New Zealand. Ancient DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating revealed the coprolites were deposited by the extinct upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus), and span from at least 6,368±31 until 694±30 14C years BP; the approximate time of their extinction. Using pollen, plant macrofossil, and ancient DNA analyses, we identified at least 67 plant taxa from the coprolites, including the first evidence that moa fed on the nectar-rich flowers of New Zealand flax (Phormium) and tree fuchsia (Fuchsia excorticata). The plant assemblage from the coprolites reflects a highly-generalist feeding ecology for upland moa, including browsing and grazing across the full range of locally available habitats (spanning southern beech (Nothofagus) forest to tussock (Chionochloa) grassland). Intact seeds in the coprolites indicate that upland moa may have been important dispersal agents for several plant taxa. Plant taxa with putative anti-browse adaptations were also identified in the coprolites. Clusters of coprolites (based on pollen assemblages, moa haplotypes, and radiocarbon dates), probably reflect specimens deposited at the same time by individual birds, and reveal the necessity of suitably large sample sizes in coprolite studies to overcome potential biases in diet interpretation.Jamie R. Wood, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Steven J. Wagstaff, Trevor H. Worthy, Nicolas J. Rawlence and Alan Coope
Profiling the dead: generating microsatellite data from fossil bones of extinct Megafauna — protocols, problems, and prospects
Full text linkWe present the first set of microsatellite markers developed exclusively for an extinct taxon. Microsatellite data have been analysed in thousands of genetic studies on extant species but the technology can be problematic when applied to low copy number (LCN) DNA. It is therefore rarely used on substrates more than a few decades old. Now, with the primers and protocols presented here, microsatellite markers are available to study the extinct New Zealand moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) and, as with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology, the markers represent a means by which the field of ancient DNA can (preservation allowing) move on from its reliance on mitochondrial DNA. Candidate markers were identified using high throughput sequencing technology (GS-FLX) on DNA extracted from fossil moa bone and eggshell. From the ‘shotgun’ reads, >60 primer pairs were designed and tested on DNA from bones of the South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus). Six polymorphic loci were characterised and used to assess measures of genetic diversity. Because of low template numbers, typical of ancient DNA, allelic dropout was observed in 36–70% of the PCR reactions at each microsatellite marker. However, a comprehensive survey of allelic dropout, combined with supporting quantitative PCR data, allowed us to establish a set of criteria that maximised data fidelity. Finally, we demonstrated the viability of the primers and the protocols, by compiling a full Dinornis microsatellite dataset representing fossils of c. 600–5000 years of age. A multi-locus genotype was obtained from 74 individuals (84% success rate), and the data showed no signs of being compromised by allelic dropout. The methodology presented here provides a framework by which to generate and evaluate microsatellite data from samples of much greater antiquity than attempted before, and opens new opportunities for ancient DNA research
Ancient DNA provides new insights into the evolutionary history of New Zealand's extinct Giant Eagle
Full text linkPrior to human settlement 700 years ago New Zealand had no terrestrial mammals - apart from three species of bats -instead, approximately 250 avian species dominated the ecosystem. At the top of the food chain was the extinct Haast's eagle, Harpagornis moorei. H. moorei (10-15 kg; 2-3 m wingspan) was 30%-40% heavier than the largest extant eagle (the harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja), and hunted moa up to 15 times its weight. In a dramatic example of morphological plasticity and rapid size increase, we show that the H. moorei was very closely related to one of the world's smallest extant eagles, which is one-tenth its mass. This spectacular evolutionary change illustrates the potential speed of size alteration within lineages of vertebrates, especially in island ecosystems
Protecting Animals 36: Author Witi Ihimaera
No full textIn this very special episode of Knowing Animals I am joined by beloved New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. Witi has written many books featuring nonhuman animals. He offers us a non-colonial lens through which to think about the human/nonhuman relationship
I Think I Am Philip K. Dick
No full textFor years, noted writer Laurence A. Rickels often found himself compared to novelist Philip K. Dickthough in fact Rickels had never read any of the science fiction writers work. When he finally read his first Philip K. Dick novel, while researching for his recent book The Devil Notebooks , it prompted a prolonged immersion in Dicks writing as well as a recognition of Rickelss own long-documented intellectual pursuits. The result of this engagement is I Think I Am: Philip K. Dick , a profound thought experiment that charts the wide relevance of the pulp sci-fi author and paranoid visionary. I Think I Am: Philip K. Dick explores the science fiction authors meditations on psychic reality and psychosis, Christian mysticism, Eastern religion, and modern spiritualism. Covering all of Dicks science fiction, Rickels corrects the lack of scholarly interest in the legendary Californian author and, ultimately, makes a compelling case for the philosophical and psychoanalytic significance of Philip K. Dicks popular and influential science fiction.Intro -- Contents -- Introjection -- Part I -- Endopsychic Allegories -- Schreber Guardian -- Belief System Surveillance -- Part II -- Deeper Problems -- Veil of Tears -- Go West -- Dick Manfred -- Timing -- Glimmung -- Part III -- Spiritualism Analogy -- Imitating the Dead -- Indexical Layer -- Ilse -- Hammers and Things -- Crucifictions -- Over There -- Martyrology -- Can't Live, Can't Live -- Lola -- Umwelt, Mitwelt, and Eigenwelt -- Outer Race -- The German Introject -- Part IV -- Materialism, Idealism, and Cybernetics -- Startling Stories -- A Couple of Years -- Android Empathy -- Homunculus and Robot -- ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD. I AM ALIVE. -- Go with the Flow -- Part V -- Room for Thought -- Caduceus -- Jump -- Still -- A Wake -- Spätwerk -- Let the Dead Be -- Play Bally -- Das Hund -- Notes -- BibliographyFor years, noted writer Laurence A. Rickels often found himself compared to novelist Philip K. Dickthough in fact Rickels had never read any of the science fiction writers work. When he finally read his first Philip K. Dick novel, while researching for his recent book The Devil Notebooks , it prompted a prolonged immersion in Dicks writing as well as a recognition of Rickelss own long-documented intellectual pursuits. The result of this engagement is I Think I Am: Philip K. Dick , a profound thought experiment that charts the wide relevance of the pulp sci-fi author and paranoid visionary. I Think I Am: Philip K. Dick explores the science fiction authors meditations on psychic reality and psychosis, Christian mysticism, Eastern religion, and modern spiritualism. Covering all of Dicks science fiction, Rickels corrects the lack of scholarly interest in the legendary Californian author and, ultimately, makes a compelling case for the philosophical and psychoanalytic significance of Philip K. Dicks popular and influential science fiction.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
PSYNDEX Tests Review für MOA-BBRI 1.0 - Meaningful Occupation Assessment - Belastungs-Beanspruchungs-Risiko-Index 1.0
No full textThis is a PSYNDEX Tests Review of MOA-BBRI 1.0 - Meaningful Occupation Assessment - Belastungs-Beanspruchungs-Risiko-Index 1.0. PSYNDEX Tests Reviews are written in German and describe and evaluate psychological and educational tests used in the German-speaking countries. PSYNDEX Tests is offered by the Leibniz Institute for Psychology as open access documentation.Das ist ein PSYNDEX Tests Review zu MOA-BBRI 1.0 - Meaningful Occupation Assessment - Belastungs-Beanspruchungs-Risiko-Index 1.0. PSYNDEX Tests Reviews beschreiben und bewerten zentrale psychologische und pädagogische Testverfahren, die in den deutschsprachigen Ländern eingesetzt werden, nach einem standardisierten Raster. PSYNDEX Tests wird durch das Leibniz-Institut für Psychologie als Open Access Dokumentation angeboten.Diagnostische Zielsetzung: Mit dem MOA-BBRI 1.0 werden zwei wesentliche Ziele fokussiert: Zum einen (Teil 1) soll der Test Arbeitgeber(inne)n laut den gesetzlichen Vorgaben des Arbeitnehmer(innen)-Schutzes (A: AschG, D: ArbSchG) valide Daten für die Gefährdungsbeurteilung psychischer Belastung liefern, zum anderen (Teil 2) sollen latente Faktoren (Strukturen, Rahmenbedingungen) der Motivation (Sinndimension) und salutogene Persönlichkeitsvariablen im Arbeitskontext erfasst werden, die essentielle Entscheidungs- und Orientierungshilfen bei der (freiwilligen) betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung liefern. Aufbau: Das Verfahren gliedert sich in zwei Teile. Teil 1 (Psychische Belastung) umfasst folgende vier Dimensionen: 1.0 Aufgabenanforderungen und Tätigkeiten, 2.0 Sozial- und Organisationsklima, 3.0 Arbeitsumgebung sowie 4.0 Arbeitsabläufe und Arbeitsorganisation. Die Summe aller Einzelitems bildet den Belastungs-Risiko-Index, von dem abgeleitet werden kann, wie stark die arbeitsbezogene, psychosoziale Belastung ist. Teil 2 (Psychische Beanspruchung) besteht aus den sechs Dimensionen (1) Sinn- und Motivationsdimension, (2) Salutogene Potenziale, (3) Sinndissonanz, (4) Stressfördernde Denk-, Fühl- und Verhaltensmuster, (5) Bio-psycho-soziale Belastung und (6) Somatoforme Störung. Die Summe aller Einzelitems bildet den Beanspruchungs-Risiko-Index, von dem abgeleitet werden kann, wie stark dysfunktionale Stress-Symptome und assoziierte Einflussfaktoren eines Beanspruchungsprozesses mit klinisch relevanten Burnout-Symptomen ausgebildet sind. Grundlagen und Konstruktion: Die Konzeption des Testverfahrens basiert auf den Richtlinien der Klassischen Testtheorie und der EN ISO 10075.1-3. Die axiomatischen Grundlagen sind das Belastungs-Beanspruchungskonzept (Rohmert & Rutenfranz, 1975), die Logotherapie und Existenzanalyse, die in ihrer Anthropologie die Entscheidungsfreiheit des Menschen und dessen unbedingte Sinnhaftigkeit in den Mittelpunkt stellt (Frankl, 1987). Weitere theoretische Grundkonzepte bilden die transaktionsanalytische Psychotherapie (Berne, 1967), das Konzept der Salutogenese (Kohärenzgefühl) nach Antonovsky (1997) sowie die klinisch-diagnostischen Leitlinien des ICD-10 Kapitel V bei somatoformen Störungen, F 45. Empirische Prüfung und Gütekriterien: Reliabilität: Die mittlere interne Konsistenz (Cronbachs Alpha) über alle Dimensionen beträgt Alpha = .77 (RangeD1-D10: Alpha = .69-.83) und Alpha = .95 über alle Items. Für die beiden Hauptfaktoren beträgt diese Alpha = .91 (Belastungsrisiko-Index) und Alpha = .93 (Beanspruchungs-Risiko-Index). Alle Items des BBRI gemeinsam berechnet zeigen bei zufälliger Itemreihenfolge einen Spearman-Brown-Koeffizient bzw. Guttmans Split-half-Koeffizient von rtt = .93. Damit können mit dem Einsatz des Testverfahrens arbeitsbedingte Zustände und Situationen, wie auch interventionsbedingte Effekte zuverlässig evaluiert werden. Validität: Die Inhaltsvalidität (Face Validity) des MOA-BBRI ist durch die klar definierten Vorgaben bei der Entwicklung (Belastungen am Arbeitsplatz) und den von Expert(innen) generierten Itempool gewährleistet. Der MOA-BBRI besteht per Konzeption aus zwei Hauptkomponenten, die in wechselseitiger Abhängigkeit zueinanderstehen (r = .71). Der Belastungs- und der Beanspruchungs-Risiko-Index werden aus inhaltlich und statistisch homogenen Merkmalen gebildet (Range Interkorrelationen: r = .40-.73), wobei die einzelnen Belastungsmerkmale zwischen r = .47 und .70 mit dem individuellen Beanspruchungsniveau korrelieren. V.a. belastenden Bedingungen aus dem Bereich (Arbeits-)Organisation führen demnach zu psychischen Fehlbeanspruchungen (r = .70), welche zu Störungen des körperlichen und geistigen Wohlbefindens führen können (Belastungs-Risiko-Index vs. somatoforme Symptome: r = .56). Gemeinsam klären die 10 inhaltlichen Dimensionen über 75% der Varianz auf. Eine Diskriminanzanalyse mit denMOA-BBRI-Dimensionen ergibt eine Spezifität von 91% bzw. eine Sensitivität von 83%. Normen: Die vorliegende Eichstichprobe umfasst N > 500 gesunde, nicht-selbstständige, berufstätige Personen. Eine Stratifizierung der Stichprobe bzw. der Skalenkennwerte (z. B. Alter, Geschlecht, berufliche Position) kann bei Bedarf bei den Testautoren angefragt werden.publishedVersio
Liftings for noncomplete probability spaces
No full textThe current state of knowledge concerning liftings for noncomplete probability spaces is discussed. This is a somewhat expanded version of the author's talk given at the 1991 Summer Conference on General Topology and Applications in Honor of Mary Ellen Rudin and Her Work.PT: S; CR: BURKE MR, IN PRESS P AM MATH S BURKE MR, 1991, ISRAEL J MATH, V73, P33 BURKE MR, 1992, ISRAEL J MATH, V79, P289 CARLSON T, THEOREM LIFTING CHRISTENSEN JPR, 1974, TOPOLOGY BOREL STRUC FREMLIN DH, 1989, HDB BOOLEAN ALGEBRAS, P877 INOESCUTULCEA A, 1966, 5TH P BERK S MATH ST, V2 IONESCUTULCEA A, 1967, CONTRIBUTIONS PROB 1, P63 IONESCUTULCEA A, 1969, TOPICS THEORY LIFTIN JECH TJ, 1978, SET THEORY JOHNSON RA, 1980, P AM MATH SOC, V80, P234 JUST W, IN PRESS T AM MATH S KUPKA J, 1983, INDIANA U MATH J, V32, P717 LOSERT V, 1983, LNM, V1080, P95 MAHARAM D, 1958, P AM MATH SOC, V9, P987 SHELAH S, 1983, ISRAEL J MATH, V45, P90 TALAGRAND M, 1982, P AM MATH SOC, V84, P379 VONNEUMANN J, 1931, CRELLES J MATH, V165, P109; NR: 18; TC: 0; J9: ANN N Y ACAD SCI; PG: 4; GA: BZ86BSource type: Electronic(1
The AM Canum Venaticorum binary SDSS J173047.59+554518.5
Full text linkThe AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn) binaries are a rare group of hydrogen-deficient, ultrashort period, mass-transferring white dwarf binaries and are possible progenitors of Type Ia supernovae. We present time-resolved spectroscopy of the recently discovered AM CVn binary SDSS J173047.59+554518.5. The average spectrum shows strong double-peaked helium emission lines, as well as a variety of metal lines, including neon; this is the second detection of neon in an AM CVn binary, after the much brighter system GP Com. We detect no calcium in the accretion disc, a puzzling feature that has been noted in many of the longer period AM CVn binaries. We measure an orbital period, from the radial velocities of the emission lines, of 35.2 ± 0.2 min, confirming the ultracompact binary nature of the system. The emission lines seen in SDSS J1730 are very narrow, although double-peaked, implying a low-inclination, face-on accretion disc; using the measured velocities of the line peaks, we estimate i ≤ 11°. This low inclination makes SDSS J1730 an excellent system for the identification of emission lines
Freedom of choice or force of circumstance? : Eastern European sex-workers in the Republic of Cyprus ; paper for the conference 'Alltag der Globalisierung. Perspektiven einer transnationalen Anthropologie', January 16-18, 2003, Institute of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main
No full textThis paper focuses on Eastern European migrants who, since the beginning of the 1990s, are entering the Republic Cyprus as “artistes”. This is a visa permit status as well as an euphemism for short-term work permits in the local sex industry. In addition to exploring the migrational experiences of these women and their living and working conditions in the Republic of Cyprus, the paper reconstructs, empirically and analyt ically, the connection between immigration and the local sex industry. Here, several categories of social actors and institutions in Cyprus are actively involved. The rhetoric of government representatives, entrepreneurs and clients in the sex business on the one hand is contrasted with the discourse of local NGO representatives concerned with immigrants’ rights on the other hand. The paper comes to the conclusion that all of these discursive positions ultimately do not do justice to the complex process of decisionmaking that women undergo who migrate into the sex industry. Either, freedom of choice is emphasized – such as by entrepreneurs and the government – or the domination of women – as in the public statements of the NGO. In order to analyze the ambivalent tension between freedom of choice and submission to force by which the women’s decision is characterized, the author employs Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality, which describes forms of political regulation that use the individual’s freedom of action as an instrument to exercise power
Anleitung Zu der Frantzösischen Sprach/ Begreiffend was anfänglich/ diese Sprach zuerlernen/ am allernöhtigsten sey: Der Jugend Teutscher Nation: zu besten verfertiget
Full text linkANLEITUNG ZU DER FRANTZÖSISCHEN SPRACH/ BEGREIFFEND WAS ANFÄNGLICH/ DIESE SPRACH ZUERLERNEN/ AM ALLERNÖHTIGSTEN SEY: DER JUGEND TEUTSCHER NATION: ZU BESTEN VERFERTIGET
Anleitung Zu der Frantzösischen Sprach/ Begreiffend was anfänglich/ diese Sprach zuerlernen/ am allernöhtigsten sey: Der Jugend Teutscher Nation: zu besten verfertiget
Anleitung Zu der Frantzösischen Sprach/ Begreiffend was anfänglich/ diese Sprach zuerlernen/ am allernöhtigsten sey: Der Jugend Teutscher Nation: zu besten verfertiget (Theil 2) ([1]r)
Anleitung Zu der Frantzösischen Sprach/ Begreiffend was anfänglich/ diese Sprach zuerlernen/ am allernöhtigsten sey: Der Jugend Teutscher Nation: zu besten verfertiget (Forts.) ([1]r
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