156 research outputs found
Plastic ingestion by fulmars and shearwaters at Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
No full textPlastic pollution is widespread in the marine environment, and plastic ingestion by seabirds is now widely reported for dozens of species. Beached Northern Fulmars, Great Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters and Cory’s Shearwaters are found on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada regularly, and they can be used to assess plastic pollution. All species except Cory’s Shearwaters contained plastic debris in their gastrointestinal tracts. Northern Fulmars, Sooty Shearwaters and Great Shearwaters all showed high prevalence of plastic ingestion (>72%), with Northern Fulmars having the highest number and mass of plastics among the species examined. There was no difference in plastic ingestion between sexes or age classes. In all species user plastics made up the majority of the pieces found, with industrial pellets representing only a small proportion in the samples. Sable Island could be an important monitoring site for plastic pollution in Atlantic Canada
IJCM_404A: Newborn deaths in Maharashtra: A qualitative thematic analysis of newspaper articles
No full textBackground:
As per statistics on infant mortality, the State of Maharashtra has done well in bringing down IMR from 33 to 16 per 1000 live births. However, in recent years many incidents come to light, especially in the case of institutional deliveries where newborns die either due to infrastructure failure or dysfunctional equipment. On a programmatic level, this has serious implications. Schemes such as Janani Suraksha Yojana promote institutional deliveries, but the institutes are unable to tend to the patient load efficiently. Analysing newspaper articles covering such incidents will throw light on actionable points for policy change. Experts from various fields tend to author such articles. Therefore it’s imperative to search every source available to bottleneck the areas for improvement.
Objective:
1. To understand the perspectives of authors about newborn deaths in Maharashtra 2. To derive major areas of concern raised by such articles possibly causing newborn deaths in Maharashtra
Methodology:
All newspaper articles published in the last 2 years about newborn deaths in Maharashtra were identified. They were segregated according to the Name of the newspaper, author, incident, period etc. A thematic analysis was performed on 12 such articles to uncover different themes and sub themes.
Results:
Major themes that emerged were related to infrastructure issues and equipment failure. Another important theme was the higher patient load on secondary care due to excessive referrals from primary health facilities. The schemes promoting institutional deliveries did not anticipate the additional workload on district and subdistrict hospitals. Strengthening primary care remains the major area of concern.
Conclusion:
Lack of quality assurance is the major bottleneck at the infrastructure level. Strengthening primary care will reduce the excessive workload on district and subdistrict hospitals. All these are part of the same chain of events
Estimation for the shape of sable coat or jacket in ancient Japan
No full textDuring the 8th-12th centuries in Japan, “furuki-no-kawaginu” or sable coat was the rage among high class aristocrats and was a symbol of nobility and wealth. However, the shape is almost unknown because there are no remains or no drawings. However, “furuki-no-kawaginu” was described in some literary works and diaries in ancient Japan, which contain a little information of the shape. In addition, drawings and remains of sable coats in other regions and periods in East Asia potentially have information of the shape of the ancient Japanese coat. In this report, the shape is inferred based on those sources of information. “Furuki-no-kawaginu” was divided into at least two size groups : long and short types. Further, the front part of the coat seems to divide right and left. Some other features were also inferred
An estimation of lameness in Sable Island horses using radiographic evaluation of the distal phalanx and hoof capsule
No full textLaminitis is a painful condition that causes lameness in horses. However, monitoring this condition in feral horses is logistically difficult. Laminitis can be detected postmortem, as inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the hoof changes the relative location of the bony structures within the hoof capsule. Thus, evaluation of cadavers may be used to estimate laminitis prevalence in feral populations of horses. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of laminitis in feral horses inhabiting the Sable Island National Park Reserve, Canada, using radiographic imagery on the hooves of naturally deceased horses. Radiographic indicators evaluated included coronary band extensor process distance (CE), capsular rotation (CR), palmar angle (PA), ratio of the dorsal hoof wall thickness to the length of the distal phalanx (DHWT:P3) and sole depth (SLD). Each value measured indicated the following prevalence of laminitis: CE 0% (97.5% Confidence Interval (CI) 0–4.51%), 8.75% CR (95%CI 3.59–17.2%), PA 25% (95% CI 15.99–35.94%), DHWT:P3 6.25% (95%CI 2.06–14.0%) and 65% SLD (95% CI 53.52–75.33%). The majority of indices measured for laminitis were low. These findings suggest that laminitis is fairly infrequent in the Sable Island horses evaluated in this study
REMARKS ON THE ISLE OF SABLE
No full textGeneral description of the navigation considerations around Sable Island to accompany the Isle of Sable map. The remarks are as follows: "On the days of the new and full moon it is high water along the south shore of the island at half an hour after eight o'clock, and it flows till half an hour past ten o'clock on the north side, and till near eleven o'clock in the pond. Common spring tides rise seven feet perpendicular, and neap tides four. The flood sets in from the south south-west at the rate of half a mile an hour; but it alters its course, and increases its velocity, near the ends of the island. At half flood it streams north, and south at half ebb, with great swiftness across the north-east and north-west bars, therefore dangerous to approach without a commanding breeze. The north-east bar runs out east-north-east about four leagues from the eastern extremity of the island, all of which is very shoal, having in few places more than two, three or four fathoms water; whence it continues east and east by south, deepening gradually to twelve, fifteen and eighteen fathoms of water, at the distance of eight or ten leagues, and shapeth to the south and south-east, sloping gently to sixty and seventy fathoms of water. To the northward and eastward it is very steep, and in a run of three miles the water will deepen to one hundred and thirty fathoms. Abreast the body of the isle the soundings are more gradual. The shoal ground of the north-west bar shapes to the westward, and deepens gradually to seventy fathoms of water, at the distance of twenty or twenty-five leagues from the isle, and winds easterly and southerly until it meets the soundings of the north-east bar. The quality of the bottom in general is very fine sand, with a few small transparent stones; to the northward, and close to the north-east bar, the sand is mixed with many black specks; but near the north-west bar the sand has a greenish colour. The north-east bar breaks in bad weather at the distance of eight and ten leagues from the island; but, in moderate weather, a ship may cross it at five leagues distance with great safety in no less than eight and nine fathoms of water; and, if the weather is clear, the island may be seen thence distinctly from a boat. The north-west bar breaks in bad weather at seven, and sometimes eight, miles from the island; but when the sea is smooth, ships may cross it within the distance of four miles in seven fathoms of water.* Along the north and south sides of the island are many spits of sand extending nearly parallel, and within a mile from the shore. Vessels may anchor on the north-side of the island between these spits, and not be liable to be drove off by southerly winds. On the south-side it is boldest off the body of the island, having ten and twelve fathoms of water within a mile from the shore; but towards the bar it is more shoal and dangerous to approach for the currents, which are uncertain, being in a great degree influenced by the winds which have preceded. The surf beats continually on the shore; and, in calm weather, is heard several leagues off. Landing on this island with boats is practicable on the north side, after a continuance of good weather only. The whole island is composed of fine white sand, much coarser than any of the soundings about it, and intermixed with small transparent stones. Its face is very broken, and hove up in little hills, knobs and cliffs, wildly heaped together, within which are hollows and ponds of fresh water, the skirts of which about with cramberries the whole year, and with blueberries, juniper, &c. in their season, as also with ducks, snipes, and other birds. This sandy island affords a great plenty of beach grass, wild pease, and other herbages, for the support of horses, cows, hogs, &c. which are running wild upon it. It grows no trees, but abundance of wreck and drift wood may be picked up along the shore for fuel. Strong northerly winds shift the spits of sand, and often even choak up the entrance of the pond, which usually opens again by the next southern blast. In this ponds are prodigious numbers of seals, and some flat fish, eels, &c. and on the south-west side lies a bed of remarkably large muscles and clambs. The south shoreis between the cliffs, so low that sea breaks quite over in many places when the wind blows on the island. The Ram’s Head is the highest hill on this island; it has a steep cliff on the north west, and falls gently to the south east. The Naked Sand Hills are one hundred and forty-six feet of perpendicular height above the level of high-water mark, and always appear very white. Mount Knight is in the shape of a pyramid, situated in a hollow between two steep cliffs. Mount Luttrell is a remarkable hummock on the top of a large swelling in the land. Gratia Hill is a knob at the top of a cliff, the height of which is one hundred and twenty-six feet perpendicular above high-water mark. The Vale of Misery is also remarkable; as is Smith’s Flagstaff, a large hill, with a regular ascent in every way. From the offing, the south side of the island appears like a long ridge of sandy cliffs lessening towards the west end, which is very low. The Nova Scotia Banks extend nearly seventy leagues in a westerly direction from the Isle of Sable: They are from twenty to twenty-five leagues wide, and their inner edges are from fourteen to eighteen leagues off shore. They are intersected by narrow winding channels (the bottom of which is mud) running north-west and south-east: Between these banks and the shore are several small inner banks with deep water and muddy bottom. The water deepens regularly from the Isle of Sable to the distance of twenty-two leagues, in fifty fathoms, fine gravel; thence proceeding westward, the gravel becomes coarser. At the distance of twenty-three leagues, and south from Prospect Harbour you have from thirty to thirty-five fathoms of water, large stones; and continuing westward to the western extremity of the banks, the soundings are rocky and shoal to eighteen and fifteen fathoms, Cape Sable bearing north by west, distance fifteen leagues. The south-west extremity of Bank Quero lies twenty-six miles east-north-east half north from the east end of the Isle of Sable. This bank extends E by N thirty-five leagues, and is near eight leagues in width; its shoalest part is about five leagues from its eastern extremity in fifteen and eighteen fathoms of water, slimy sand and clambs; from whence it deepens regularly every way to to sixty and seventy fathoms of water towards the edges of the bank. The bank is steep to, and from its soundings on the north side you fall immediately in ninety or one hundred of water black mud, and in one hundred and twenty fathoms on the south side.
* I have described these bars such as I found them; but as they are composed of shifting sands, repeated storms, and the violence of the sea, may in a course of years considerably alter their form or extent.
Colonization history of the sable Martes zibellina (Mammalia, Carnivora) on the marginal peninsula and islands of northeastern Eurasia
No full textWe examined the nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (976 base pairs) for 279 individuals of the sable Martes zibellina (Carnivora, Mustelidae), derived from diverse areas throughout the regions of the Ural Mountains to the Russian Far East on the Eurasian continent and the peripheral peninsula (Kamchatka) and islands (Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and southern Kurils). The demographic history of the sable and its migration history to the eastern peripheral peninsula and islands were inferred using phylogeographic approaches. The analyses confirmed the previously found major lineages for the examined sables and further identified novel sublineages. Our data also support that a lineage, which is endemic to the eastern marginal islands (Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and southern Kurils), was produced by the demographic expansion of an ancestral lineage in the Eurasian continent. The most recent common ancestor of the Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and southern Kuril sables was estimated to exist during the Late Pleistocene. We also determined that another lineage exists on Sakhalin and is shared by the Far East Primorsky population. Our results indicate multiple migration events onto Sakhalin from the continent and suggest the importance of the formation of several straits to the distribution of sable lineages. Meanwhile, Kamchatka is dominated by a sole lineage which would also have followed the demographic expansion on the Eurasian continent. The Russian Far East was indicated as the source area for lineage diversifications; in this region, genetic diversity was relatively high, which is consistent with previous studies
Evolutionary history of the sable (Martes zibellina brachyura) on Hokkaido inferred from mitochondrial Cytb and nuclear Mc1r and Tcf25 gene sequences
No full textWe examined sequence variation in mitochondrial and nuclear genes of seven species of the genus Martes (Mustelidae, Carnivora): M. americana (American marten), M. flavigula (yellow-throated marten), M. foina (beech marten), M. martes (pine marten), M. melampus (Japanese marten), M. pennanti (fisher), and M. zibellina (sable), focusing on the phylogenetic history of the Hokkaido subspecies of the sable, M. zibellina brachyura. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene confirmed the view that the Hokkaido sable population has lower genetic diversity. In contrast, network analysis of a nuclear gene related to coat colour, melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r), revealed two different haplogroups for this population: one shared with that of Russian sables and the other specific to this population but with a close relationship with the American and Japanese martens, implying that these endemic haplotypes are composed of uncharacterised ancestral lineages of a past population. We also examined the sequence variation in a neighbouring nuclear gene, transcription factor 25 (Tcf25), located ca. 5 kb upstream from the Mc1r gene, and found similar trends. The sable genome leaves the impression that Hokkaido hosted ancient marten lineages, with subsequent recent migrations from the continent. The validity of a candidate Mc1r mutation for the entirely yellow coat observed on Hokkaido sables was also discussed
Boycott Toolkit : collaborative research for collective economic action
No full textThesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Many modern social movements advocate boycotts as a mechanism to pursue social change. However, these campaigns are often broad in scope and limited to committed activists as potential adherents. This thesis describes a web-based platform to organize highly targeted boycotts, perform collaborative research, and disseminate information through social networks. The approach differs from current boycott lists by allowing for community contributed content and by linking specific geographic contexts with potential individual actions. To better understand the needs of a real-world boycott campaign, the author traveled to Israel and the West Bank to meet with human rights advocates, international aid workers, journalists and activists. This field work suggested an appropriate structure in which a better boycott could be developed. After fully developing a tool that addressed these needs and constraints, the tool was broadened to demonstrate wider applications. The Boycott Toolkit was deployed to an international network of activists with seven campaigns that follow several major ongoing boycotts of today. These focused on a diverse set of issues: immigrant rights, environmental justice, marriage equality, reactionary media, and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The project was released to media attention, and a user survey indicated an appreciation for the careful differentiation between targets, revealing an enthusiastic, though small, set of active contributors.by Joshua Sable Levinger.S.M
Mercury speciation in pulverized fuel co-combustion and gasification
No full textCoal based power generation is a significant source of mercury emissions to the atmosphere and this has attracted huge attention in the past decade. Recently, the concerns regarding global warming and need for new energy resources introduced the concept of cofiring of biomass and waste as secondary fuels in the power industry. The addition of a variety of secondary fuels will change the behaviour of mercury in the combustor which will then affect the design of emission control technology. This PhD thesis primarily focused on the impact of secondary fuels and the combustion conditions on mercury speciation in pulverized fuel co-combustion of secondary fuels with coal. The experimental work of this thesis mainly involves bench scale studies to investigate the speciation of mercury in pulverized fuel co-combustion under air-staging and at different combustor temperatures (1000 and 1300ºC). A new model is developed to predict different forms of mercury in the post-combustion zone upstream of a particulate control device. The model incorporates reactions of mercury with flue gas species and simultaneous adsorption of oxidized mercury (HgCl2) on fly ash particles in cooling of flue gases. Additional work is concentrated on understanding the mercury speciation under gasification conditions. In gasification processes, most of the mercury is exist in elemental form. A kinetic model has been developed to predict speciation of mercury in gasification product gas.Mechanical Maritime and Materials Engineerin
Breaking into the Boundaries of World Literature: Tahar Ben Jelloun's "L'enfant de sable"
No full textThe essay aims to analyze the novel "L’enfant de sable" (1985) – the first bestseller by the French-Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun – in the perspective of World Literature as underpinned by the theories of David Damrosch and Pascale Casanova. This theoretical approach illustrates to what extent the success of a literary work is the product of the intersection between its aesthetic value and the socio-economic dynamics governing the literary market. A global writer on the threshold of two worlds, Ben Jelloun concocts a hybrid work in which Persian-Arabic literary and cultural traditions melt together with their Western counterparts. In particular, L’enfant de sable is characterized by a multilayered hybridity for a strategy of negotiation between the two cultures is employed at many levels: narratological, intertextual and linguistic. This strategy of hybridity/negotiation may be deemed as a mere compromise to reach a larger readership. Indeed, analyzing the novel within this theoretical framework highlights its ambiguities: remarkably, the author has been accused of commodifying his own culture to create a product palatable to the Euro-American market and compliant with Westerners’ expectations about the Arabic world – the topic appealing to French readers being the evidence of it. Yet, this reading also points out the novel’s undeniable aesthetic value: Ben Jelloun succeeds in merging two traditions artfully while opening a window into recondite aspects of Moroccan culture
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