Thermal and chemical stratification of urban ponds: Are they ‘completely mixed reactors’?

We examined whether relatively small urban ponds behave as ‘completely mixed reactors’ by measuring the stability and vertical heterogeneity of water column parameters. To do this, we measured profiles of water temperature and conductivity from the pond surface to the water-sediment interface twice during summer 2009 in 45 stormwater ponds located in the residential landscape of southern Ontario. These data were used to calculate water column stability indices and examine the relative importance of temperature and conductivity in controlling water column stratification. We also measured concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP),total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), particulate phosphorus and nitrogen (seston P and N), chlorophyll a (Chl-a), and total suspended solids (TSS) in surface and bottom waters. Despite their shallow depth (0.50–2.8 m), most ponds were stratified on the day of sampling and had relatively stable water columns both in June and August. Temperature differences rather than conductivity differences were better related to water column stability. Despite relatively stable water columns, vertical differences were not found for most water chemistry parameters, suggesting either recent mixing or relatively slow biogeochemical processing. Top-bottom differences were observed in June and August for DO and in June for TDN, seston N and TSS, reflecting a combination of processes influencing water column chemistry.     

Infants Discriminate the Affective Expressions of their Peers: The Roles of Age and Familiarization Time

Research examining infants’ discrimination of affect often uses unfamiliar faces and voices of adults. Recently, research has examined infant discrimination of affect in familiar faces and voices. In much of this research, infants were habituated to the affective expressions using a “standard” 50% habituation criterion. We extend this line of research by examining infants’ discrimination of unfamiliar peers’, that is, 4‐month‐olds, dynamic, facial, and vocal affective expressions and assessing how discrimination is affected by changing the habituation criterion. In two experiments, using an infant‐controlled habituation design, we explored 3‐ and 5‐month‐olds’ discrimination of their peers’ dynamic audiovisual displays of positive and negative expressions of affect. Results of Experiment 1, using a 50% habituation criterion, revealed that 5‐month‐olds, but not 3‐month‐olds discriminated the affective expressions of their peers. In Experiment 2, we examined whether 3‐month‐olds’ lack of discrimination in Experiment 1 was a result of insufficient habituation (i.e., familiarization). Specifically, 3‐month‐olds were habituated using a 70% habituation criterion, providing them with longer familiarization time. Results revealed that using the more stringent habituation criterion, 3‐month‐olds showed longer habituation times, that is increased familiarization, and discriminated their peers’ affective expressions. Results are discussed in terms of infants’ discrimination of affect, the role of familiarization time, and limitations of the 50% habituation criterion.     

Computer display of population age structure

The standard human population pyramid contains only current information; it is often inadequate when making comparisons of different countries or years. A graphic computer program superimposes current population, life table survivor ships, stable population, and past population projected up to the present. Fertility, health conditions, migration, and demographic transition stage are better revealed by this expanded graph form. A time series of the modified pyramids reveals detailed age-specific trends for a country or region. With 'minor modifications the computer program is applicable to all machines with a Fortran IV compiler.     

Optimal Forecasts from Markov Switching Models

We derive forecasts for Markov switching models that are optimal in the mean square forecast error (MSFE) sense by means of weighting observations. We provide analytic expressions of the weights conditional on the Markov states and conditional on state probabilities. This allows us to study the effect of uncertainty around states on forecasts. It emerges that, even in large samples, forecasting performance increases substantially when the construction of optimal weights takes uncertainty around states into account. Performance of the optimal weights is shown through simulations and an application to U.S. GNP, where using optimal weights leads to significant reductions in MSFE. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

Knowledge Sharing for Sustainable Development: An Examination of Practices in Local-Level NGOs in Tamil Nadu,India

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This study examines the knowledge sharing (KS) practices of local-level non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Operating...     

Experimenter Affective Expression and Gaze Following in 7‐Month‐Olds

The study of gaze following in infants younger than 12 months of age has emphasized the effects of gesture, type of target, and its position or placement. This experiment extends this literature by examining the effects of adults' affective expression on 7‐month‐olds' gaze following. The effects of 3 affective expressions—happy, sad, and neutral—on 7‐month‐olds' frequency of gaze following were examined. The results indicated that infants more frequently followed the gaze of an adult posing a neutral expression than that of an adult posing either a happy or a sad expression. The infants also looked proportionately longer toward the indicated target when the adult's expression was neutral. The results are interpreted in terms of infants' flexibility of attention.     

Handle with care! How majority cues can reduce the negative effects of warnings of foreseeable product failures

Review of Managerial Science - To ensure full effectiveness of several goods, suppliers have to instruct consumers to handle these products in a careful way. In other words, they have to warn of...     

Governmentalities of Volunteering: A Study of Regional Western Australia

The aim of this article is to investigate the governmentalities of volunteering in regional Western Australia. Drawing on interviews with 25 consenting volunteers and their managers, a thematic analysis revealed the experiences and perceptions of the research participants. Two distinct governmentalities exist: one reflecting neo-liberal governmentality and the other reflective of classic liberalism. Whilst this study is limited to regional Western Australia, the results suggest that there are variations in ‘governmentalities’ of volunteering comprising a mix of sometimes contradictory elements. This article also demonstrates the usefulness of governmentality for expanding the understanding of volunteering that has the potential to illuminate vital elements of the volunteer sector, which are being missed. There are many niches where volunteer groups exist or are emerging that are not visible and out of reach of the control techniques commonly used by governments adopting advanced (neo) liberal governmentalities.     

Culture and industry: exploring the debate

This paper explores the conceptual space inhabited by the Creative Industries. It pursues this by examining complex relationships between “culture” and “industry” in historical perspective, considering significant differences (and similarities) between four major interpretations; Marxist, Economic, Socio-political and Romantic. Mindful of contemporary oversimplifications, the paper argues for a dialogic approach to the multi-layered complexities of the “culture/industry” interface.     

To Grasp or Not to Grasp: Infants’ Actions Toward Objects and Pictures

We conducted two experiments to address questions over whether 9‐month‐old infants believe that objects depicted in realistic photographs can be picked up. In Experiment 1, we presented 9‐month‐old infants with realistic color photographs of objects, colored outlines of objects, abstract colored “blobs,” and blank pages. Infants most commonly rubbed or patted depictions of all types. They also showed significantly more grasps toward the realistic photographs than toward the colored outlines, blobs, and blank pages, but only 24% of infants directed grasping exclusively at the photographs. In Experiment 2, we further explored infants’ actions toward objects and pictures while controlling for tactile information. We presented 9‐month‐old infants with objects and pictures of objects under a glass cover in a false‐bottom table. Although there were no significant differences between the proportion of rubs and pats infants directed toward the objects versus the photographs, infants exhibited significantly more grasping toward the objects than the photographs. Together, these findings show that 9‐month‐old infants largely direct appropriate actions toward realistic photographs and real objects, indicating that they perceive different affordances for pictures and objects.