Influence of habitat diversity and substratum on the composition of Essay

Influence of habitat diversity and substratum on the composition of macroinvertebrate communities from riverine systems - Essay Example They are a key component of the food chain and their abundance and diversity have been used to assess the ecosystem health and bio diversity in a given habitat. A very recent study by Leroy et al iexamined the relative importance of litter quality and stream characteristics in determining decomposition rate and macro invertebrate assemblage living on autumn shed leaves. The decomposition rates of five riparian tree species (Populus fermonti, Alnus oblongifolnia, Platanus wrightii, Faxinus velutina, Quercus gambelli) were compared across three south -western streams in the Verde River catchments (Arizona, U.S.A). Also to test whether plant species diversity affects rate, the decomposition of three and five species mixtures was compared to that of a single species. The results showed that decomposition rate was affected by both litter quality and stream although litter quality accounted for most of the variation. The relative importance of litter quantity was shown to decrease from 97% in the first week to 45% by the eighth week. It was also found that the rate of decomposition increased relatively when all the species included were highly la bile. The most significant outcome of this study was the difference in invertebrate assemblage, which seemed to be more pronounced across streams than across leaf litter species within a stream. There was also a significant difference between the invertebrate assemblage colonizing leaf mixtures compared to that colonizing pure species litter, indicating non -additive properties of litter diversity on stream invertebrates. The conclusion of the study was that leaf litter diversity has the capacity to affect in -stream decomposition rates and stream invertebrates but these effects depend on both litter quality and stream characteristics. A research conducted in Griffith University, Australiaii studied the basic principles and ecological consequences of altered flow regimens for aquatic bio- diversity. The article stated that the flow regimen is considered to be the primary factor governing river and flood plain wetland ecosystems. Four key principles highlighted the important mechanisms that link hydrology and aquatic bio diversity and the impacts of alteration in the flow regimes: 1. Flow plays a major role in determining the physical habitat in streams, which influences the biotic composition. 2. The evolution of aquatic species has a direct response to the natural flow regimes. 3. The viability of populations of many riverine species requires maintenance of natural patterns of longitudinal and lateral connectivity. 4. The alteration in flow regimes facilitates the invasion and success of exotic and introduced species in riverine systems. Wide ranges of taxonomic groups are impacted by altered flow regimes including riverine plants, invertebrates and fish. A study by Douglas et al iii related macro invertebrate community structure to physical, chemical and biological gradients in flow through constructed wetlands receiving secondarily treated domestic wastewater and lower nutrient river water in Ohio, U.S.A. Benthic colonization plates and emergence traps were used to collect macro invertebrates which were then analyzed with diversity, biotic and combination indices and related to seventeen parameters of water quality, substrate characteristics and primary productivity in both wetland systems. 36 and 39 macro invertebrate

Hand Hygiene of Nurses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hand Hygiene of Nurses - Essay Example Action planning involves active participation in the hand washing process, for example, nurses may list when they are supposed to wash their hands. This was also supported in the study by Nicol, et.al., (2009; Curtis, et.al., 2009) where the authors emphasized the theory of planned behavior. The study revealed that the theory of planned behavior could sufficiently help improve the education and training of nurses in hand hygiene behavior (Nicol, et.al., 2009; Curtis, et.al., 2009). This study was also able to demonstrate that deep-seated habits which are incorporated well into a person’s activities have a significant potential of improving a certain activity or behavior (Nicol, et.al., 2009; Curtis, et.al., 2009). The theory of planned behavior also points out that where individuals unconsciously apply certain activities, they also learn to carry out hand washing activities where necessary (Nicol, et.al., 2009; Curtis, et.al., 2009). This study provides a more in-depth and per sonalized verbalization of how habits and planned activities can lead to better hand washing compliance. The value of planned behavior in the promotion of hand washing was also explored in the study by Curtis, et.al. (2009; Nicol, et.al., 2009). The authors were able to establish that hand washing is a habitual behavior and planning it into a person’s life can help ensure that it would always be carried out. This study explored the value of planned and habitual activities which can eventually be incorporated into a person’s life (Curtis, et.al., 2009; Nicol, et.al., 2009). It also relates the value of building habitual behavior in relation to hand washing. Through this study, a holistic and specific picture of hand washing is obtained, including the impact of planned habits and behavior on its compliance.

Humanities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humanities - Assignment Example The gods represented in the poem make their actions based on unknown hasty and premature decisions. As a result, the cause of the flood remains unclear: â€Å"Then came the flood, sent by gods intent.† (15). On the contrary, the Bible gives a definite answer: the cause of the flood was the immoral behavior of the people (Gen. 6.5). In other words, in the epic of Gilgamesh, the deadly flood was the result of a whim of the gods, while in the Bible - a punishment for sin. God of the Bible could not accept the immoral behavior of people since it offended His divine plan, and He deliberately decided to destroy mankind. In the poem, there is no explanation as to why Utnapishtim had an opportunity for salvation, while the Bible explains why God chose Noah to be saved: â€Å"Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God† (Gen. 6.9). For this reason, God of the Bible did not regret His decision, while the gods of the poem began to regret their acti ons, blaming Enlil that he did not punish the sole culprit of his anger. The Inferno by Dante is a world masterpiece of medieval literature. This literary work is linked with both ancient heritage and the ideas of Christian Catholicism to convey the most important religious issues that existed in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. This work is characterized by a special vividness of images that have been used by Dante to realize his goals. In The Inferno, the poet portrayed his journey to the afterlife. In general, The Inferno is based on Christian mythology as well as on the doctrine of heaven and hell (Raffa 2). The hero visits various fantastic places: Hell, which has nine circles, Purgatory, and Heaven. Dante sees the amazing wonders, meets with the angels, the righteous, the souls of sinners, God, Lucifer and his minions, as well as the heroes of ancient myths. The moral sense of Dante’s travel

Programs for Nurturing Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Programs for Nurturing Creativity - Essay Example Odyssey of the mind is one of the programs that have been extensively employed in nurturing creativity among the kids. The program has an international orientation that enhances educational programs in terms of establishing solutions that exhibit creativity in problem-solving. Ideally, the program is meant for kindergarten kids and is extended through to the college. Group members are put in different groups, and each try to employ creativity in solving certain problems ranging from analysis of literary classics to the development of mechanical devices (Creative Competitions, 2015). The creative solutions can be subjected to competition at the local, state or international level. The program is widely used in the US, and individuals from diverse backgrounds and grades participate in the program. The other program that has fundamental importance is the Future Problem-Solving Program that is employed in various educational facilities. The program is established as a measure of engaging kids in creative problem-solving ventures. Ideally, the program is aimed at stimulating thinking and effectively enhancing creative thinking among learners (FPSPI, 2015). The program has a number of programs that aid in developing activities that can bring about solutions to particular issues of critical importance. The program brings together number of students from the US, Europe and some of the Asian countries. Talent Unlimited is another program that is used in nurturing creativity in students. Students in particular learning environments are given an opportunity to engage in high-level thinking activities that enhance their skills. Essentially, the main focus is enhancing the ability of the students to thinking (Talents Unlimited, 1995). Students exposed to the program have the capability of developing thinking abilities that can aid them in solving certain problems. The program helps the

Source Evaluations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Source Evaluations - Essay Example This increases the credibility of the writer. His broad experience in the field of medical sciences and general health-partitioning make it appropriate to carry out a credible research, which can be relied upon for informative purposes. Dr Gupta is also linked to several hospitals where he practices his medicine and neurosurgeon. Amongst his past experiences in broadcast journalism, Dr Sanjay Gupta covered the war of invasion in Iraq. While covering the Iraq war, he also got to practice medicine whereby he helped in treating the American soldiers and the Iraq civilians. His article on why he changed his perspective on the use of weed was published on the CNN website, which is a very reliable and reputable website. The article was published in the year 2013, August 9. In his article, Dr Sanjay Gupta acknowledges the fact that he has been wrong on his previous stand on the issue of the usage of weed. However, he has been very categorical in the reason why he changed his stand on the usage of marijuana. He cites several reasons and examples of people he has come across during his research. During his research on the usage of marijuana, he focused mostly on the medicinal aspect of the drug. The various people he came across during his study were all victims suffering from various disorders who had used prescribed drugs but there treatment only proved to get better after the use of weed. Dr Sanjay Gupta also proves to be quit reliable because of the scope and range of categories of sources of information that he covered during the research. He brings out several issues including the challenges he faced during his research process. This is very credible and reliable information that can be followed because they are from trusted sources. Dr. Sanjay Gupta also explains categorically why he has shifted his stand on the usage of marijuana. He has displayed in this article that the beliefs that most people carry and the ignorance misplaced on

People in middleast don't want to workout to get in shape so they look Essay

People in middleast don't want to workout to get in shape so they look for easy ways - Essay Example ks on weight loss, and more gymnasiums have opened more than ever before, but the number of people losing weight around the world is not adding up to an appropriate number who should be fit due to the technology. For this paper, I will go by the thesis statement that people in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia do use alternative methods of losing weight rather than working out. Residents of the Middle East do not want to work out to get in shape, so they look for easy ways. According to the World Health Organization, obesity in the Middle East is a notable health issue. WHO results showed that approximately 1.6 billion people were overweight, and 400 million residents were obese. According to probability statistics, by the year 2015, 700 million individuals will be obese, and 2.3 billion people will be overweight; this number includes both adolescent and adults (World Health Organization 60). The spread of the Western lifestyle usually defined as the consumption of attractive energy dense meals with undesirable composition, elevated consumption of animal fats and sugars and decreased or non- consumption of dietary fiber, along with a lack of sufficient physical activity- is one of the principal origins of obesity and overweight problems in the Middle East (Roya 439). In as much as there are great numbers of individuals in the US who are obese, it is not bizarre to see people working out to get in shape. In the US, most people take exercise seriously and they exercise extensively and religiously as opposed to people in the Middle East especially Saudi Arabia (Al-Hazzaa 663-670). The difference in culture could be the reason as to why people in the US work out as opposed to those in Saudi Arabia. People do not necessarily work out in a gymnasium, but they run around their neighborhoods in the morning or afternoon. This routine makes the obesity situation in the US better than that of the Saudi Arabia. It is almost impossible to see people in the Middle East working

Organization Development survey (advantage and disadvantage) Essay

Organization Development survey (advantage and disadvantage) - Essay Example The questions begin with what, how, when, where and why (Jolley, 2012, p. 26). This is the relatively fast method to collect the data in survey; however, it may take long to prepare and analyze. It needs a lot of time and effort to prepare questionnaires, to analyze the questionnaires, to make the specific questions so that the object is achieved, but then, at the end, it requires minimum time to conduct it. In comparison with other methods, data collection in survey questionnaires is relatively fast. The return rates of questionnaires survey are high. Questionnaires are easy to answer. It takes a minimum of five minutes to fill the whole questionnaire. For this reason, people usually do not argue in filling questionnaires. Other methods such as interviews take a lot of time of the respondents, so people usually argue on it. Survey questionnaires can easily be distributed to a large number of audiences. It enables to gather many different point of views (Zikmund and Babin, 2009, p. 7). The questionnaires cover almost every part of research unlike interviews. Questionnaires are designed in a way so that every aspect is covered. It consists of accurate questions of which it requires accurate answers. It can have many questions to cover every aspect of the respective topic. Many of the positivists â€Å"believe that quantitative data can be used to create new theories and / or test existing hypotheses† (Koneru, 2008, pp. 218–220). The questionnaires enable to gather quantitative data. It allows the respondent to give direct answers, i.e. yes or no, which makes the data accurate. These accurate data lead to the formation of theories or existing hypothesis. One of the main benefits of survey questionnaire is that it does not require a high rate of investment. The cost involved in distributing the questionnaires is negligible as compared with the other methods of data