British Exploring Society

In 2020, North Macedonia conducted the first national assessment of ecosystem condition. The assessment fully adhered to MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services) working group guidelines and represents the first implementation study in North Macedonia, marking it as the first Southeastern European country outside the EU to conduct such an assessment. National team of 30 experts was established and worked on accomplishment of the first two steps from the MAES operational framework: i) map of the ecosystem types and ii) assessment of their condition. Ecosystem typology corresponds to the MAES Level 2 categories, while the Level 3 categories were modified in order to fit our data. Mapping was done by using the available CORINE land cover data, published and unpublished scientific data, however major work was done with analyses of satellite imagery which resulted in a detailed map of country’s ecosystems. The ecosystem condition assessment was done for 15 natural and semi-naturalecosystem types. The anthropogenic and agricultural ecosystems were excluded from this assessment. Set of indicators was developed for each of the ecosystem types following MAES guidelines. In total, 16 indicators and 53 parameters were scored from 1 to 5 on specific scales. National and project data bases, as well as GIS tools were the main sources of data for the parameters. The majority of parameters were quantified, although some were evaluated based on their qualitative properties. It was followed by assessment on ecosystem services on national and local scale, accompanied by local scale implementation perspectives.

The Last Emperor" is a classic movie portraying Chinese history from a Western perspective.The brilliant soundtrack of the movie shines out.It is a blend of Chinese and Western elements.Through the collision and fusion of Chinese and Western musical elements, the soundtrack promotes and presents the plot of the movie through music.It is a good theme for the research and analysis of the relationship between music and Chinese and Western social cultures.This article explores the aesthetic resonance of Chinese and foreign audiences by analysing the uniqueness of the soundtrack.

A grand challenge of the computer science (CS) for all education movement is the preparation of thousands of teachers with high quality, accessible professional development (PD) that has evidence of improving teacher knowledge and pedagogical practices necessary to support the learning needs of diverse groups of students. While regional PD programs can provide in-person learning opportunities, geographic and time constraints often inhibit participation. This article shares findings from an online PD program modified from the existing in-person exploring computer science PD program to provide teachers a facilitated online learning community model to support their first year teaching the course. The findings from this study have implications for future directions in the CS education field, indicating that this model of online PD, heavily based on shared experience among participants, can increase CS teachers' confidence in adapting and delivering lessons designed to be engaging and accessible to all students.

This quantitative and qualitative mixed study aims to provide a glimpse into pre-service Chemistry teachers' attitudes and perceptions concerning content and language integrated learning. Study employed 120 first, second-and third-year students of State Pedagogical University who study Chemistry in English (after Kazakh and Russian), which is their L3. The findings revealed that at the beginning of their academic path, students develop a more negative attitude towards learning the subject in English for several reasons, namely, the uncertainty of their roles, being content or a language teacher, lack of confidence in language and teaching methods employed. However, it was further revealed that by their 3rd year at university, students gain awareness of the importance of learning content through English. They believe that, despite the various challenges they face while studying the subject, better educational and employment opportunities become available for those subject teachers who deliver their lessons in English.

Amed and Tulamben waters are marine tourism areas located in the western part of the Lombok Strait, which have enormous biodiversity and conservation potential. The abundant biodiversity in the area is because of the process of transporting water masses vertically carrying biogenic and non-biogenic components. Salinity and TDS have an important role in regulating the process of bio-geo-chemical waters. Thus, it can be a parameter in understanding the vertical characteristics of the waters. The purpose of this research was to determine the vertical characteristics of temporal salinity and TDS in these waters. Data was collected for 14 days (February 20 to March 5, 2019) at two locations, namely Batu Niti and Emerald. The data collection method was carried out by reducing the CTD to a depth of approximately 95 meters with a measurement interval of 10 minutes for 2 to 3 hours per day. The results showed that salinity and TDS had a very strong correlation (r = 0.9995). Salinity concentrations ranged from 31.83 to 34.19 PSS, and TDS concentrations ranged from 31,211.12 to 33,396.71 mg l-1. The halocline layer had a gradient characteristic ? 0.01 PSS m-1 found from a depth of 20 meters, while a homogeneous layer was formed above it to a depth of 6 meters. The halocline layer had a higher level of water mass stability (N) than the homogeneous layer. The maximum rate of change in salinity and TDS was found at a depth of 70 meters. The great variability of salinity and TDS in the water column was indicated by the influence of internal tidal currents. Before the highest tide conditions, salinity and TDS have highest variability that compared to the highest tide condition and after its condition.

Introduction: Participation in education is the right of every child, regardless of disability. An Assistive Technology and InclusionProgramme, implemented at a special school, has provided learners with motor impairments with an alternative to typical writing andother classroom activities in which they cannot participate. This study aimed to describe how learners with motor impairments useassistive technology to participate in classroom activities at a special school in South Africa.Methods: A quantitative, descriptive study was conducted with 34 learners enrolled in this programme. The children were observedperforming a pre-determined activity using assistive technology. An observational checklist was compiled from the literature and relevantschool activities. Video recordings of each learner's performance were used to score the checklist.Results: Activity performance was assessed according to the learner's ability to use assistive technology, their need for assistance,quality of performance and speed of performance. Most learners were able to perform all the activities with some verbal and physicalassistance, cutting and erasing required the most assistance but the ability to use the assistive technology (>90%) and quality ofperformance (>85%) achieved high scores. The median time to complete the activity varied from 5 to 66 seconds.Conclusion: This study yielded descriptive evidence on learners with motor impairments' successful use of assistive technology whenparticipating in school activities, and reinforced the importance of an occupational therapy Assistive Technology and Inclusion Programmein the classroom. Further context-based evidence is required to improve the expansion and sustainability of such programmes.Key words: Occupational therapy; assistive technology; motor impairments; school activities; participation; South African special schools


 
 
 
 Considerable confusion surrounds the taxonomy of snakes in the genus Leptodeira, which contains 12 currently recognized species. Herein I review the genus and recognize 15 species based on previously published morphological and genetic data. Easily recognized traits can be used to identify Costa Rican species of Leptodeira, and taxonomic insights into all species in the L. annulata-septentrionalis complex are discussed. Photographs of all currently recognized species and subspecies are included.
 
 
 

BackgroundAdvancements in portable scientific instruments provide promising avenues to expedite field work in order to understand the diverse array of organisms that inhabit our planet. Here, we tested the feasibility for in situ molecular analyses of endemic fauna using a portable laboratory fitting within a single backpack in one of the world's most imperiled biodiversity hotspots, the Ecuadorian Chocó rainforest. We used portable equipment, including the MinION nanopore sequencer (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and the miniPCR (miniPCR), to perform DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction amplification, and real-time DNA barcoding of reptile specimens in the field.FindingsWe demonstrate that nanopore sequencing can be implemented in a remote tropical forest to quickly and accurately identify species using DNA barcoding, as we generated consensus sequences for species resolution with an accuracy of >99% in less than 24 hours after collecting specimens. The flexibility of our mobile laboratory further allowed us to generate sequence information at the Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica in Quito for rare, endangered, and undescribed species. This includes the recently rediscovered Jambato toad, which was thought to be extinct for 28 years. Sequences generated on the MinION required as few as 30 reads to achieve high accuracy relative to Sanger sequencing, and with further multiplexing of samples, nanopore sequencing can become a cost-effective approach for rapid and portable DNA barcoding.ConclusionsOverall, we establish how mobile laboratories and nanopore sequencing can help to accelerate species identification in remote areas to aid in conservation efforts and be applied to research facilities in developing countries. This opens up possibilities for biodiversity studies by promoting local research capacity building, teaching nonspecialists and students about the environment, tackling wildlife crime, and promoting conservation via research-focused ecotourism.

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 587:129-139 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12424 Patterns of long-term climate variability and predation rates by a marine apex predator, the white shark Carcharodon carcharias R. A. Skubel1,2,*, B. P. Kirtman1,3, C. Fallows4, N. Hammerschlag1,2 1Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA 2Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33146, USA 3Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, FL, 33149, USA 4Apex Expeditions, Cape Town, South Africa *Corresponding author: ras347@miami.edu ABSTRACT: Understanding potential responses of aquatic animals to climate variability is important, given the wide-ranging implications of current and future climatic change scenarios. Here, we used long-term data from natural predator-prey interactions between white sharks Carcharodon carcharias and Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus in False Bay, South Africa, paired with environmental monitoring to examine potential relationships between temperature variability and shark predation rates on seals. Based on generalized linear modelling of a dataset of 941 shark attacks on seals collected over 15 years (1999-2013) during the austral winter (May-September) season, we found water temperature was included as a significant predictor of daily and monthly variability in predation rates. However, the signal of temporal variability over the season emerged as a more predominant predictor. Moreover, inter-annual variability in predation rate appeared linked to other environmental factors (wind, water visibility, and the occurrence of El Niño and La Niña events) rather than water temperature. These data suggest that water temperatures on an intra-annual scale might contribute to predation patterns in white sharks either directly or indirectly (e.g. due to associated changes in prey availability), but do not implicate water temperature as a primary driver in this scenario, or at an interannual scale. It is possible that (1) the metabolic demand of white sharks may be modulated against temperature variability by their partially endothermic nature, and (2) the predation patterns of white sharks on seals are the result of a complex interplay between ambient physical conditions and broader oceanographic, biological, and ecological factors. KEY WORDS: Predator ecology · Climate variation · El Niño · Shark · Seal · Temperature Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Skubel RA, Kirtman BP, Fallows C, Hammerschlag N (2018) Patterns of long-term climate variability and predation rates by a marine apex predator, the white shark Carcharodon carcharias. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 587:129-139. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12424 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 587. Online publication date: January 25, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.