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Many animals and plants have species-typical annual cycles, but individuals vary in their timing of life-history events. Individual variation in fur replacement (moult) timing is poorly understood in mammals due to the challenge of repeated observations and longitudinal sampling. We examined factors that influence variation in moult duration and timing among elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). We quantified the onset and progression of fur loss in 1178 individuals. We found that an exceptionally rapid visible moult (7 days, the shortest of any mammals or birds), and a wide range of moult start dates (spanning 6-10× the event duration) facilitated high asynchrony across individuals (only 20% of individuals in the population moulting at the same time). Some of the variation was due to reproductive state, as reproductively mature females that skipped a breeding season moulted a week earlier than reproductive females. Moreover, individual variation in timing and duration within age-sex categories far outweighed (76-80%) variation among age-sex categories. Individuals arriving at the end of the moult season spent 50% less time on the beach, which allowed them to catch up in their annual cycles and reduce population-level variance during breeding. These findings underscore the importance of individual variation in annual cycles.

A Multiple Intelligence and Expressive Therapies approach for counselling adolescents experiencing anxiety is proposed. Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health challenges experienced by adolescents. Research reveals the association between anxiety in teenage years and psychiatric disorders in later life. Data is presented on the increasing incidence of anxiety in adolescence and the limits of commonly applied therapies. Adolescence is characterised as a time of turbulence and change, and the issues that adolescent clients bring to counselling are diverse and often complex. Evidence from several studies in counselling have shown positive outcomes through linking multiple intelligences and expressive therapies as an integrative therapy. The potential benefits of applying this combined approach to secondary school students are discussed.

Deep ocean foraging northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) consume fish and squid in remote depths of the North Pacific Ocean. Contaminants bioaccumulated from prey are subsequently transferred by adult females to pups during gestation and lactation, linking pups to mercury contamination in mesopelagic food webs (200-1000 m depths). Maternal transfer of mercury to developing seal pups was related to maternal mercury contamination and was strongly correlated with maternal foraging behavior (biotelemetry and isotopes). Mercury concentrations in lanugo (hair grown in utero) were among the highest observed worldwide for young pinnipeds (geometric mean 23.01 μg/g dw, range 8.03-63.09 μg/g dw; n = 373); thus, some pups may be at an elevated risk of sub-lethal adverse health effects. Fetal mercury exposure was affected by maternal foraging geographic location and depth; mercury concentrations were highest in pups of the deepest diving, pelagic females. Moreover, pup lanugo mercury concentrations were strongly repeatable among successive pups of individual females, demonstrating relative consistency in pup mercury exposure based on maternal foraging strategies. Northern elephant seals are biosentinels of a remote deep-sea ecosystem. Our results suggest that mercury within North Pacific mesopelagic food webs may also pose an elevated risk to other mesopelagic-foraging predators and their offspring.

I explored the development of a 4-week online introduction to improv course, to verify the fit of the games and exercises used in this short course. I employed practitioner action research to develop an understanding of autistic learning needs. A socio-constructivist framework was used in the teaching, and focus groups were conducted after each class to obtain data. I recruited a total of 17 autistic participants for the Zoom-based improv classes, with groups of three to five autistic adults per course. Five courses were completed, and focus groups were run after each class to discuss the trialled improv training. The data collected identified improvements that participants felt would better support their learning. I found that autistic adults were comfortable learning with other autistic learners, and the gradual, informative teaching approach addressed their needs. An autistic teaching assistant was also found to be necessary. However, there were both desired and unwanted content, as well as contradictions about using online versus offline mode of study, and the necessary group size. The findings suggest that these considerations should be taken into account for adult education programmes aimed at autistic learners.

The Kruger National Park is the largest protected area in South Africa and one of the most extensively surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific studies, passive sampling from rangers and citizen science records have resulted in comprehensive faunal species lists spanning the entire park. Albeit, numerous frog records from different sources exist, they reveal contrasting species assemblages for the northern reaches of the park. This inconsistency leads to problems in conducting ecological work and implementing conservation legislation, as the baseline data are not congruent across sources. This is problematic because the northern Kruger National Park is known as the Ramsar-declared Makuleke Wetland System. Although this system receives rigorous conservation efforts, there is a lack of a comprehensive and up-to-date list of frog species. In this study, we aimed to develop an updated regional baseline using a combination of published literature, citizen science and museum records, supplemented with active field surveys. Field surveys of the study region resulted in the identification of 18 species from 10 families of frogs. When combined with existing records, the Makuleke Contractual Park is expected to play host to at least 30 frog species. In addition to collating existing data into a single source, the field component of this study also revealed the first record of Tomopterna natalensis for the area during active surveys, reconfirmed the presence of several frogs, several of which have not been recorded in the region in over 50 years and provided the first confirmed national record of Afrixalus crotalus using phylogenetic reconstruction. Conservation implications: Comprehensive species lists are fundamental for robust management protocols and ecological research. By collating data from multiple sources, this article presents an improved and updated frog list for the region, which will aid conservation, management and any long-term wetland ecosystem monitoring efforts in the region.

Abstract Deep ocean foraging northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) consume fish and squid in remote depths of the North Pacific Ocean. Contaminants bioaccumulated from prey are subsequently transferred by adult females to pups during gestation and lactation, linking pups to mercury contamination in mesopelagic food webs (200–1000 m depths). Maternal transfer of mercury to developing seal pups was related to maternal mercury contamination and was strongly correlated with maternal foraging behavior (biotelemetry and isotopes). Mercury concentrations in lanugo (hair grown in utero) were among the highest observed worldwide for young pinnipeds (geometric mean 23.01 μg/g dw, range 8.03–63.09 μg/g dw; n = 373); thus, some pups may be at an elevated risk of sub-lethal adverse health effects. Fetal mercury exposure was affected by maternal foraging geographic location and depth; mercury concentrations were highest in pups of the deepest diving, pelagic females. Moreover, pup lanugo mercury concentrations were strongly repeatable among successive pups of individual females, demonstrating relative consistency in pup mercury exposure based on maternal foraging strategies. Northern elephant seals are biosentinels of a remote deep-sea ecosystem. Our results suggest that mercury within North Pacific mesopelagic food webs may also pose an elevated risk to other mesopelagic-foraging predators and their offspring.

THE LOVED ONE An Anglo-American tragedy EVELYN WAUGH Edited by Adrian Poole 320pp. Oxford University Press. 130 [pounds sterling] (US $170). When The Loved One first appeared, in a single [...]

Storm Ciarán affected northern France, the Channel Islands and the United Kingdom as an intense North Atlantic depression on 1/2 November 2023, bringing damaging winds, large waves, heavy rain and an intense convective development spawning a tornado on Jersey. Amidst an extended period of stormy weather across Northwest Europe, Storm Ciarán was probably the most significant windstorm to affect the Channel Islands and northern France since the Great Storm of 1987 or Storm Lothar in 1999. Here we explore the storm's evolution, forecasting strategies and challenges and climatological context from the perspective of Met Office operational meteorologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE REAL THING Reflections on a literary form TERRY EAGLETON 176pp. Yale University Press. 16.99 [pounds sterling] (US $26). 'I don't want realism', declares Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams's A [...]

More than two billion people across the world do not have access to potable water. Communities globally are struggling with epidemic level disease outbreaks, limited water supply among other large-scale public health risks. Water is essential for life and several regions across the world have poor infrastructure for the management of potable water resources and lack critical wastewater treatment facilities. As the population of the Earth grows rampantly, the demand for water resources is increasing exponentially. Large-scale critical infrastructure chains are required to produce potable water from raw water sources, and developing countries continue to struggle economically and cannot afford the same treatment chains as the developed world. This research project evaluated the feasibility of two photocatalytic / photo-Fenton solar reactors on their capabilities to breakdown water contaminants present in natural hydro-systems and freshwater resources namely rivers in Chatham, Kent, England between September 2015 and August 2017. The photo-Fenton reaction and solar-photochemical reactors were designed, constructed, and tested for the removal efficiencies of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and phosphates via LCK curvetted tests, in addition to turbidity and colour. The water quality analysis and results showed that oversaturation of the photoFenton reagents reduces the effectiveness of the reaction, and that finding the correct chemical balance has a greater impact on the removal efficiencies of the five pollutants than the use of ultraviolet (UV) light catalyst. Under the conditions set by this research project, a smaller diameter of piping yields the best removal efficiencies of pollutants. The optimal photochemical balance of H2O2: Fe2+ has more of an impact on the effectiveness of treatment than the use of UV radiation. The ideal H2O2: Fe2+ ratio for the treatment of river water is close to 100:1 mg/L. The impact of semivariables such as diameter of pipe and UV influx on the effectiveness of treatment are not noticeable compared to the effect of changing the photo-Fenton chemical ratio. Moreover, the photo-Fenton process’ removal efficiency is directly proportional to the remaining H2O2 concentration, as the photochemical reaction proceeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To gain an overview of social media for those who may be unfamiliar with its uses • To appreciate the advantages and challenges of using social media for recruitment • To provide a valuable resource for anyone considering their research recruitment options. Background: It may be challenging for researchers to recruit enough participants to have a diverse and representative sample for their studies. Usual recruitment methods that were historically effective can be difficult to use because of high costs, time constraints and geographical limitations. Social media is a low-cost, time-saving alternative. Aim: To summarise the benefits and challenges of using social media for recruitment. Discussion: This article provides an overview of social media. It considers the advantages of social media for recruitment, including its cost-effectiveness, accessibility, speed and potential exposure for researchers. It also discusses the challenges of using social media for recruitment, including ethical ambiguity, homogenous sampling and questionable validity of information gathered. Conclusion: Using social media for research saves time and reduces costs, increasing access to hard-to-reach populations and the reach of recruitment efforts. Implications for practice: Options for researchers wishing to use social media for study recruitment are outlined, as are strategies for managing some of the challenges involved in this recruitment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a book titled "Computing the Climate" by Steve M. Easterbrook, which provides insight into the history and development of weather and climate models. The book covers topics such as greenhouse gases, the mathematical and physical aspects of climate models, and the use of supercomputers in predicting climate evolution. The author, Steven Keates, praises the book for its accessible presentation of complex scientific concepts and its combination of historical narrative and atmospheric physics theories. Keates believes the book would appeal to a wide range of readers, from those with a casual interest in the subject to professionals in the field. [Extracted from the article]