scholarly journals To fear or to feed: the effects of turbidity on perception of risk by a marine fish

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 811-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah M. Leahy ◽  
Mark I. McCormick ◽  
Matthew D. Mitchell ◽  
Maud C. O. Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Marine Fish ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Baseline Activity ◽  
Antipredator Responses ◽  
High Turbidity

Coral reefs are currently experiencing a number of worsening anthropogenic stressors, with nearshore reefs suffering from increasing sedimentation because of growing human populations and development in coastal regions. In habitats where vision and olfaction serve as the primary sources of information, reduced visual input from suspended sediment may lead to significant alterations in prey fish behaviour. Here, we test whether prey compensate for reduced visual information by increasing their antipredator responses to chemically mediated risk cues in turbid conditions. Experiments with the spiny damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus , found that baseline activity levels were reduced by 23 per cent in high turbidity conditions relative to low turbidity conditions. Furthermore, risk cues elicited strong antipredator responses at all turbidity levels; the strongest antipredator responses were observed in high turbidity conditions, with fish reducing their foraging by almost 40 per cent, as compared with 17 per cent for fish in clear conditions. This provides unambiguous evidence of sensory compensation in a predation context for a tropical marine fish, and suggests that prey fish may be able to behaviourally offset some of the fitness reductions resulting from anthropogenic sedimentation of their habitats.

scholarly journals Gravity and Known Size Calibrate Visual Information to Time Parabolic Trajectories

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Borja Aguado ◽  
Joan López-Moliner
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Prior Information ◽  
Parabolic Flight ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Prior Distributions ◽  
Strongly Coupled ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Estimation Of Time

Catching a ball in a parabolic flight is a complex task in which the time and area of interception are strongly coupled, making interception possible for a short period. Although this makes the estimation of time-to-contact (TTC) from visual information in parabolic trajectories very useful, previous attempts to explain our precision in interceptive tasks circumvent the need to estimate TTC to guide our action. Obtaining TTC from optical variables alone in parabolic trajectories would imply very complex transformations from 2D retinal images to a 3D layout. We propose based on previous work and show by using simulations that exploiting prior distributions of gravity and known physical size makes these transformations much simpler, enabling predictive capacities from minimal early visual information. Optical information is inherently ambiguous, and therefore, it is necessary to explain how these prior distributions generate predictions. Here is where the role of prior information comes into play: it could help to interpret and calibrate visual information to yield meaningful predictions of the remaining TTC. The objective of this work is: (1) to describe the primary sources of information available to the observer in parabolic trajectories; (2) unveil how prior information can be used to disambiguate the sources of visual information within a Bayesian encoding-decoding framework; (3) show that such predictions might be robust against complex dynamic environments; and (4) indicate future lines of research to scrutinize the role of prior knowledge calibrating visual information and prediction for action control.

Household Evacuation Decision Making and the Benefits of Improved Hurricane Forecasting: Developing a Framework for Assessment

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey K. Lazo ◽  
Donald M. Waldman ◽  
Betty Hearn Morrow ◽  
Jennifer A. Thacher
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Investments ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Hurricane Forecasting ◽  
Survey Research Methods

Abstract Hurricane warnings are the primary sources of information that enable the public to assess the risk and develop responses to threats from hurricanes. These warnings have significantly reduced the number of hurricane-related fatalities in the last several decades. Further investment in the science and implementation of the warning system is a primary mission of the National Weather Service and its partners. It is important that the weather community understand the public’s preferences and values for such investments; yet, there is little empirical information on the use of forecasts in evacuation decision making, the economic value of current forecasts, or the potential use or value for improvements in hurricane forecasts. Such information is needed to evaluate whether improved forecast provision and dissemination offer more benefit to society than alternative public investments. Fundamental aspects of households’ perceptions of hurricane forecasts and warnings and their potential uses of and values for improved hurricane forecast information are examined. The study was designed in part to examine the viability of survey research methods for exploring evacuation decision making and for eliciting values for improved hurricane forecasts and warnings. First, aspects that affect households’ stated likelihood of evacuation are explored, because informing such decisions is one of the primary purposes of hurricane forecasts and warnings. Then, stated-choice valuation methods are used to analyze choices between potential forecast-improvement programs and the accuracy of existing forecasts. From this, the willingness to pay (WTP) for improved forecasts is derived from survey respondents.

scholarly journals The Ecological and Ethical Consumption Development Prospects in Poland Compared with the Western European Countries

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Koszewska
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component ◽  
Ethical Consumption ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Western European ◽  
Polish Economy ◽  
Development Prospects

An overview of the Western European literature shows that one of the most distinct trends in consumption that has been noted in the recent years is globally increasing environmental and social awareness. The issue of consumers' behaviours and attitudes towards "socially responsible products" has been gaining importance in Polish economy as well. This article evaluates the development prospects of ethical and ecological consumption in Poland vis-a-vis Western European countries. The comparative analysis being part of the article utilizes primary sources of information, i.e. interviews with a representative sample of Polish adults, as well as secondary sources of information. A factor analysis or, more precisely, a principal component analysis, allowed dividing Polish consumers into groups that were typologically homogeneous in respect of their sensitivity to various aspects of business ethics and ecology.

An analysis of the forfeiture regime under the anti-money laundering law

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aspalella A. Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Court Cases ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Terrorism Financing ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the forfeiture regime under the Malaysian anti-money laundering law. Apart from discussing the relevant provisions, several court cases also were examined to identify the problems which arise in the implementation of such a powerful forfeiture regime. Design/methodology/approach This paper mainly relies on statutes and court cases as its primary sources of information. It is supported by secondary data to justify the analysis. This paper also used analytical descriptive approach to analyze relevant forfeiture provisions from statutes and to examine current court cases regarding the implementation of the forfeiture regime. Findings The Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) provides comprehensive procedures for the forfeiture of criminal proceeds. Any limitations of the previous statutory legislations have been addressed, and more importantly, the AMLATFPUAA introduces more powerful and innovative measures that can facilitate the recovery of illegal proceeds from money laundering and any other serious crimes. The AMLATFPUAA also provides avenue for the bona fide third parties to contest the forfeiture order. However, it appears that such right is not easy to be enforced. Originality/value This paper provides an analysis of the forfeiture regime under Malaysian anti-money laundering laws. It is hoped that the content of this paper can provide some insight into this particular area for enforcement authorities, practitioners, academics, policymakers and legal advisers not only in Malaysia but also elsewhere. The findings of this paper also expose any weakness or lacunae in the aspects of application and implementation of the forfeiture regime. Thus, more effective and workable legal solution especially on the issue of civil forfeiture of criminal assets could be considered for further accomplishment.

Assessment of public perception regarding wastewater reuse

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.G. Robinson ◽  
C.H. Robinson ◽  
S.A. Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Population Demographics ◽  
Southeast United States ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Lawn Irrigation ◽  
Or Applications

A descriptive-correlational study was recently conducted in a four county metropolitan area in the southeast United States (US) as part of a collaborative effort between nursing and environmental engineering researchers. The purpose of the study was to assess attitudes, knowledge and information sources concerning wastewater reuse and evaluate the results with respect to population demographics. The study indicated that both men and women unfavorably view the use of wastewater for possible consumption (released into potable surface or groundwater supplies) or applications involving close, personal contact (laundry). Women were especially concerned about pumping wastewater into the groundwater for subsequent potable use. Both genders felt that wastewater reuse for applications not involving close personal contact (such as firefighting, car washing, lawn irrigation and agricultural uses) was acceptable. General knowledge concerning wastewater reuse was mixed. Those with lower incomes, less education, and 65 years of age or older had significantly less knowledge of this issue than younger, more educated, higher income individuals. Primary sources of information for most demographic groups included newspaper and television, although the Internet was identified as a frequent source for selected groups.

Determining Daily Physical Activity Levels of Youth with Developmental Disabilities: Days of Monitoring Required?

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
So-Yeun Kim ◽  
Joonkoo Yun
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Daily Physical Activity ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

This study examined sources of variability in physical activity (PA) of youth with developmental disabilities (DD), and determined the optimal number of days required for monitoring PA. Sixteen youth with DD wore two pedometers and two accelerometers for 9 days, including 5 weekdays (W) and 2 weekends (WK). A two-facet in fully crossed two-way ANOVAs were employed to estimate sources of variability across W, WK, and W and WK combined (WWK) for each device. Primary sources of variability were the person and the person by day interaction for both devices. Using a pedometer, four, six, and eight days of measurements were required to determine typical PA levels of the participants during W, WK, and WWK, respectively. Using one accelerometer, four days of measurements were estimated across all days.

scholarly journals Getting Moving Together; a field experiment on workplace physical activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sanders ◽  
Karen Tindall ◽  
Alex Gyani ◽  
Susannah Hume ◽  
Min-Taec Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Baseline Activity ◽  
The Social

Importance: Wearable devices are widely used in an effort to increase physical activity and consequently to improve health. The evidence for this is patchy, and it does not appear that wearables alone are sufficient to achieve this end.Objective: To determine whether social comparisons in a workplace setting can increase the effectiveness of wearables at promoting physical activity.Design: A four week randomized controlled trial conducted in November 2015 with employees of a large firm. Participants were randomised to one of two treatment conditions (control vs social comparison) at team level, and teams are formed into ‘leagues’ based on their activity levels before the study. Impact is measured through wearable devices issued to all participants throughout the study duration.Setting: Offices of a large Australian employer.Participants: 646 employees of an Australian employer, issued with wearable activity trackers prior to the beginning of the study. Intervention(s) (for clinical trials) or Exposure(s) (for observational studies). Participants used a wearable device to track steps. Participants had been wearing these for at least four weeks at the outset of the trial, establishing a baseline level of activity. Teams (n=646, k=49), were randomly assigned to either control (k=24), or a social comparison (k=25) treatment. All participants took part in a step-count competition between their team and others at their employer, in which their team’s ranking within a mini-league of five teams, as well as their own activity was communicated each week. The control group had access to the usual features of the wearable, while the social comparison group received additional information about the performance of the other teams in their league, including how far behind and ahead their nearest rival teams were.Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Number of steps taken per day on average, measured by the wearable devices issued to all participants. Results: A total of 646 participants were included in the study. Compared to the control, participants in the social comparison group took significantly more steps per day during the trial period (an additional 620 steps, 8.2%, p<0.001). These effects are largest in both relative and absolute terms for people whose prior steps were in the bottom quartile of steps (an additional 948 steps, 40%, p<0.001), while the effect on people with highest levels of activity was a precisely estimated null (an additional 6 steps, 0.01%, p=0.98).Conclusions and Relevance: Social comparison increased the effectiveness of wearables at improving physical activity, particularly for those with the lowest baseline activity.

scholarly journals Infants in Control: Prospective Motor Control and Executive Functions in Action Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna M. Gottwald
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Motion Tracking ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Action Sequences ◽  
High Level

This thesis assesses the link between action and cognition early in development. Thus the notion of an embodied cognition is investigated by tying together two levels of action control in the context of reaching in infancy: prospective motor control and executive functions. The ability to plan our actions is the inevitable foundation of reaching our goals. Thus actions can be stratified on different levels of control. There is the relatively low level of prospective motor control and the comparatively high level of cognitive control. Prospective motor control is concerned with goal-directed actions on the level of single movements and movement combinations of our body and ensures purposeful, coordinated movements, such as reaching for a cup of coffee. Cognitive control, in the context of this thesis more precisely referred to as executive functions, deals with goal-directed actions on the level of whole actions and action combinations and facilitates directedness towards mid- and long-term goals, such as finishing a doctoral thesis. Whereas prospective motor control and executive functions are well studied in adulthood, the early development of both is not sufficiently understood.This thesis comprises three empirical motion-tracking studies that shed light on prospective motor control and executive functions in infancy. Study I investigated the prospective motor control of current actions by having 14-month-olds lift objects of varying weights. In doing so, multi-cue integration was addressed by comparing the use of visual and non-visual information to non-visual information only. Study II examined the prospective motor control of future actions in action sequences by investigating reach-to-place actions in 14-month-olds. Thus the extent to which Fitts’ law can explain movement duration in infancy was addressed. Study III lifted prospective motor control to a higher that is cognitive level, by investigating it relative to executive functions in 18-months-olds.Main results were that 14-month-olds are able to prospectively control their manual actions based on object weight. In this action planning process, infants use different sources of information. Beyond this ability to prospectively control their current action, 14-month-olds also take future actions into account and plan their actions based on the difficulty of the subsequentaction in action sequences. In 18-month-olds, prospective motor control in manual actions, such as reaching, is related to early executive functions, as demonstrated for behavioral prohibition and working memory. These findings are consistent with the idea that executive functions derive from prospective motor control. I suggest that executive functions could be grounded in the development of motor control. In other words, early executive functions should be seen as embodied.

scholarly journals USTAZ ABU BAKAR AL-BAQIR: ULAMA DAN PEJUANG KEMERDEKAAN TANAH MELAYU

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAMARUL AFENDEY BIN HAMIMI ◽  
AHMAD ZULLAILI BIN ZAMRI
Keyword(s):  
Religious Education ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Religious Leader ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
British Rule ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Relationship Of

Kertas kerja ini menganalisis peranan Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir iaitu lama reformis tempatan yang konsisten menentang British sehingga terpenjara pada 1948. Beliau turut menubuhkan Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff untuk memodenkan sistem pendidikan pondok di samping meniupkan semangat kemerdekaan kepada pelajar dan masyarakat di sekelilingnya. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk mengetengahkan sumbangan Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir sebagai seorang ulama dan pejuang kemerdekaan menentang British sekitar 1934 sehingga 1957 di Perak. Kajian ini berbentuk historiografi yang menggunakan kaedah kualitatif dengan pendekatan analisis kandungan. Dua jenis sumber digunakan dalam kajian ini iaitu sumber primer dan sekunder. Sumber primer adalah seperti mendapatkan dokumen dan fail di Arkib Negara Malaysia, sumber pejabat kolonial British di samping menemu bual ahli keluarga dan murid Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir. Sumber sekunder pula diperoleh melalui buku, surat khabar dan kertas kerja seminar yang berkaitan dengan perjuangan beliau. Hasil kajian mendapati para pelajarnya terdedah dengan semangat kemerdekaan ini ekoran guru-guru reformis dari Indonesia yang terdedah dengan perjuangan menentang Belanda mengajar di Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff. Selain itu, hubungan baik Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir dengan Ibrahim Yaakub selaku penggerak Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) dan Dr. Burhanuddin al-Helmy yang memimpin Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Muda (PKMM) menjadikan Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff sebagai markas politik menentang British sehingga tertubuhnya Parti Hizbul Muslimin di bawah pimpinan Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir. Kata kunci: Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff, Hizbul Muslimin, British, Kaum Muda, Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM), Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM). This paper attempts to analyze the role played by Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir, a local reformist religious leader who consistently opposed the British until he was imprisoned by them in 1948. He established the Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff with the aim of modernizing the religious education system besides stoking the spirit of freedom among his students and the society around him. The objective of this study is to highlight the contributions of Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir as a religious leader as well as a freedom fighter who opposed British rule in Perak from around 1934 until 1957. This is a historiographical research which uses qualitative methodology with a content analysis approach. Two different sources of information are used for this study namely primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include documents and files from the Malaysian National Archives and official documents from the British Colonial office, besides interviewing family members as well as former students of Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir. On the other hand, secondary sources include books, newspapers and seminar report relating to his struggle. The findings of the study show that his students were exposed to the struggle for Independence through the direct influence of the reformist teachers from Indonesia who were teaching at the Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff. These teachers had already been involved in the fight against the Dutch colonialists in Indonesia. In addition to this, the close relationship of Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir with Ibrahim Yaakub, the primemover of Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) and Dr. Burhanuddin al-Helmy, the leader of Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Muda (PKMM), projected Maahadal-Ehya Assyariff as the political front that opposed British rule until the founding of the Parti Hizbul Muslimin under the leadership of Ustaz Abu Bakar al-Baqir. Keywords: Maahad al-Ehya Assyariff, Hizbul Muslimin, British, Kaum Muda, Malay Nationalist Party (MNP), Young Malays Union.

scholarly journals Bilateral compartment syndrome of the lower limbs after urological surgery in the lithotomy position: a clinical case

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Maciel Caldas dos Reis ◽  
Lauro José Mendes Queiroz ◽  
Pablo Ferreira Mello ◽  
Renan Kleber Costa Teixeira ◽  
Fábio de Azevedo Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Compartment Syndrome ◽  
Wound Closure ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Acute Compartment Syndrome ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Lithotomy Position ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Urological Surgery ◽  
Baseline Activity

Abstract Acute compartment syndrome of the lower extremities after urological surgery in the lithotomy position is a rare but potentially devastating clinical and medicolegal problem. We report the case of a 67-year-old male who underwent laparoscopic prostatectomy surgery to treat cancer, spending 180 minutes in surgery. Postoperatively, the patient developed acute compartment syndrome of both legs, needing emergency bilateral four-compartment fasciotomies, with repeated returns to the operating room for second-look procedures. The patient also exhibited delayed wound closure. He regained full function within 6 months, returning to unimpaired baseline activity levels. This report aims to highlight the importance of preoperative awareness of this severe complication which, in conjunction with early recognition and immediate surgical management, may mitigate long-term adverse sequelae and improve postoperative outcomes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document