Šiame darbe analizuojami komercinės vizualinės reklamos naudojami amžiaus tarpsnių stereotipai. Atskleidžiamos su kiekvienu amžiaus tarpsniu siejamos socialinės vertės ir vertybinės hierarchijos tarp jauno suaugusio amžiaus ir kitų amžiaus tarpsnių pagrindas. / Stereotypes of life stages presented in the commercial visual advertising are analyzed in this research. Social values related to each life stage are revealed and the establishment of hierarchy of values between young adult and other life stages is depicted.

Pleuronectiformes (flatfishes) occur throughout the global oceans, and have high ecological and commercial importance in some areas. Though much is known regarding life history, abundance, and distribution for the benthic adult stage of flatfish species, much less is known about the pelagic larval phases of flatfishes in the open ocean. Taxonomic uncertainty and limited sampling in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico contribute to data gaps with respect to the distribution of early life history stage of flatfishes in this region. Knowledge of the faunal composition, abundance and distribution of larval flatfishes, such as members of Bothus, which have extended pelagic phases, is important for modeling their population dynamics as well as for understanding the importance of connectivity between neritic and oceanic ecosystems in their life histories. Pleuronectiform specimens utilized in this study were collected in the northern offshore Gulf of Mexico during several cruises conducted throughout 2010-2011 as part of the NOAA Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DWHOS). The Offshore Nekton Sampling and Analysis program (ONSAP) was established to determine composition, abundance and distribution of deep-water invertebrates and fishes in Gulf of Mexico waters that were potentially affected by the DWHOS. Results of the first large-scale discrete-depth distributional analysis of fishes in this region revealed that flatfishes were an intrinsic component of the oceanic ichthyofauna of these waters. A total of 2365 flatfish specimens were collected in offshore waters, representing four families and 11 of the 18 genera that occur in the Gulf of Mexico. Species composition was dominated by members of the genus Bothus, which had a high frequency of occurrence in the epipelagic zone throughout the year. Citharichthys spilopterus and Trichopsetta ventralis were the second- and third-most abundant and frequently occurring taxa, respectively. Detailed spatial analyses of taxa in the epipelagic zone revealed that larvae of Citharichthys spilopterus were only collected in winter and occurred most frequently near the continental shelf break, while early life stages of Bothus spp. were more abundant at the northern convergence flow of a large anticyclonic Loop Current eddy during spring and summer.

Fishes within the family Scombridae (i.e. tunas, mackerels and bonitos) are of high ecological and economic value, as they are heavily targeted by commercial and recreational fisheries. In coastal and open-ocean environments, adults are high-level predators, while larvae and juveniles serve as prey for numerous species. Much is known about the distribution and abundance of adult tunas, but high taxonomic uncertainty and limited knowledge regarding the distributional patterns of larval and juvenile tunas have led to an “operational taxonomic unit” gap in our understanding of tuna ecology. Scombrids were collected across the Gulf of Mexico (GoM, hereafter) during seven research cruises from 2010-2011, as part of the NOAA-supported Offshore Nekton Sampling and Analysis Program, and during five research cruises from 2015-2017, as a part of the GOMRI-supported Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico Consortium. In this thesis, species composition, distribution, and abundance of tunas collected from the surface to 1500 m depth are characterized in relation to depth, time of year, and physical oceanographic features. A synthesis of the morphological characteristics used to identify the taxonomically challenging larval and juvenile stages of tunas is presented, along with length-weight regressions to fill the data gap on the growth patterns of these early life stages. A total of 945 scombrid specimens were collected, representing 11 of the 16 species that occur in the GoM. The dominant species included: Euthynnus alletteratus (Little Tunny), Thunnus atlanticus (Blackfin Tuna), Auxis thazard (Frigate Mackerel), and Katsuwonus pelamis (Skipjack Tuna). Evidence of sampling gear selectivity was observed, with a MOCNESS (rectangular, research-sized trawl) collecting larvae predominantly, and a large, high-speed rope trawl catching only juveniles. Scombrids were collected primarily in the upper 200 m of the water column. Species-specific environmental preferences and seasonality were identified as the main drivers of tuna spatial distributions across the epipelagic GoM. Integrating aspects of scombrid ecology in neritic and oceanic environments improves management and conservation efforts for this highly important taxon.

As a growing population ventures forth into the 21st century, people are living longer than ever before. Recent statistics indicate an ever-increasing adult population. With a larger and older population, communities will find themselves striving to ensure a high quality of life for these persons. Individuals, as well, will find themselves seeking out activities that will keep them actively involved and engaged in their post-retirement years. The purpose of this biographical study was to explore the motivations for lifelong learning and engagement in the life of Evelyn McQueen Cook, a seventy-five year-old resident of Johnson County, Tennessee. Her life is presented in the context of an educational narrative and analyzed within the contextual and theoretical framework of lifelong learning. Data were collected through a series of interviews with the subject. Interviews were recorded and tapes of the interviews were transcribed. Using interpretative analysis, data were examined to determine themes. Further information was collected through photographs, postcards, letters, and certificates. Findings were presented thematically within a chronological context. The importance of family, formal educational opportunities, the influence of teachers, the opportunity to travel extensively, self-directed learning, cultural experiences, career choices, and involvement in community all emerged as strong motivations for pursuit and engagement in learning opportunities over the span of her life. Financial concerns, lack of confidence, ability, or interest, long-held beliefs or feelings, loneliness and a sense of isolation, gender and being an only child, and age all emerged as distracters or barriers to learning. Recommendations included the need to provide adults more opportunities that allowed them to reflect upon their educational experiences, both formal and informal. Specific recommendations were noted for predominately rural communities. A need for further educational biographies was also suggested.

In the face of unprecedented anthropogenic change, we increasingly turn to emergent technologies and extensive data sets for solutions that complement much needed systemic changes in our societies. These technological solutions, however, must be approached with care. We must recognize and address biases in the way data has been accumulated. In demographic studies, dormant life stages, such as seed banks, and other cryptic factors have often been neglected. The potential consequences of these omissions have been extensively described in the literature. In the first chapter, I analyze patterns of seed bank omissions in demographic models, finding unjustified omissions are widespread across ecoregions, growth forms, and taxonomic groups. More importantly, studies with longer duration and accounting for a greater range of conditions were less likely to neglect the seed bank. Unfortunately, most demographic studies are conducted for relatively short periods and are limited to one or a few sites. In addition, modeling tools often focus on mean behavior and do not properly characterize variability. In the second chapter, I explore the use of Bayesian generalized linear mixed models to characterize vital rates and compare their variation across growing conditions. Using wild and translocated populations of Dicerandra christmanii,this study tests the ability of this approach to evaluate early translocation success and site suitability.In chapter 3, I expand the demographic analysis of Dicerandra christmaniiand provide an example of the use of Bayesian-fitted Integral Projection Models (IPMs) to combine data sources and incorporate seed dynamics into demographic models. By propagating uncertainty from vital rates to derived population metrics, this study illustrates the consequences of accounting for the seed bank stage and site condition to our assessment of population viability. In the final part of this work, I present potential routes to expand field and modeling tools to help address the inclusion of dormant and cryptic life stages into demographic studies. Among these, I recommend exploring more complex sampling schemes, informed priors, and expanded IPMs.

Using qualitative analysis, this thesis analyzes intergenerational support, conflict, and ambivalence between aging mothers and their middle aged adult daughters. In-depth interviews with 30 mother-daughter pairs explored respondents&amp / #8217 / relationship history, changes in the relationship over the life course (childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, marriage of daughter, parenthood of daughter, widowhood of mother), social network composition, frequency of contact, expectations, type and frequency of intergenerational support, intimacy, compliance, conflict or disagreement, and comparison of self with the other party in terms of parenting styles and filial behaviors. Moreover, similarities and differences in the personalities of mother-daughter dyads were investigated from both mothers and daughters perspective. Participants reported that, there is an ample amount of intergenerational support between aging mothers and their adult daughters. Conflicts between mother-daughter pairs arise from interference, irritating personality traits and behaviors and differing views. Daughters experience more ambivalent feelings than mothers in their relationship. Both parties employ passive and secondary relationship maintenance tactics with the goal of preserving relationship harmony. Three distinct types of mother-daughter relationship emerged: close/peaceful, ambivalent and distant. Mother-daughter relationships have undergone transformations with life stages: daughters&amp / #8217 / marriage, daughters&amp / #8217 / parenthood, mothers&amp / #8217 / aging and declining health and mothers&amp / #8217 / widowhood. Effects of certain historical events and social changes emerged from the study. The research findings were discussed with reference to Turkish cultural characteristics and they were compared with Western research findings.

Complex biogenic habitats created by large canopy-forming macroalgae on intertidal and shallow subtidal rocky reefs worldwide are increasingly affected by degraded environmental conditions at local scales and global climate-driven changes. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the impacts of complex suites of anthropogenic stressors on algal forests is essential for the conservation and restoration of these habitats and of their ecological, economic and social values. This thesis tests physical and biological mechanisms underlying the impacts of different forms of natural and human-related disturbance on macroalgal assemblages dominated by fucoid canopies along the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A field removal experiment was initially set up to test assemblage responses to mechanical perturbations of increasing severity, simulating the impacts of disturbance agents affecting intertidal habitats such as storms and human trampling. Different combinations of assemblage components (i.e., canopy, mid-canopy and basal layer) were selectively removed, from the thinning of the canopy to the destruction of the entire assemblage. The recovery of the canopy-forming fucoids Hormosira banksii and Cystophora torulosa was affected by the intensity of the disturbance. For both species, even a 50% thinning had impacts lasting at least eighteen months, and recovery trajectories were longer following more intense perturbations. Independently of assemblage diversity and composition at different sites and shore heights, the recovery of the canopy relied entirely on the increase in abundance of these dominant fucoids in response to disturbance, indicating that functional redundancy is limited in this system. Minor understory fucoids, which could have provided functional replacement for the dominant habitat formers, had reduced rates of growth or recruitment when the overlying canopy was disturbed. I then used a combination of field and laboratory experiments to test the impacts of physical and biotic stress sources on the dominant fucoids H. banksii and C. torulosa. The large fucoid Durvillaea antarctica was also included in one of the laboratory investigations. I assessed how altered physical and biotic conditions affect these important habitat formers, both separately and in combination. Physical stressors included increased sedimentation, nutrient enrichment and warmer water temperatures. Biotic stress originated from interspecific competition with turfs of articulated coralline algae and ephemeral, fast-growing green and brown algae. Sediment deposition severely reduced the survival and growth of recently settled H. banksii, C. torulosa and D. antarctica germlings in laboratory experiments. In the field, the recruitment of H. banksii on unoccupied substrates was significantly higher than in treatments in which sediments or mats of turf-forming coralline algae covered the substrate. This shows that sediment deposition and space pre-emption by algal turfs can synergistically affect the development of fucoid beds. Further impacts of sediment accumulation in the benthic environment were investigated using in situ and laboratory photorespirometry techniques to assess the contribution of coralline algae to assemblage net primary productivity (NPP), both in the presence and absence of sediment. The NPP of articulated corallines was reduced by sediment. Sediment accumulation among the thalli limited the access of the corallines to the light and induced photoinhibitive mechanisms. In the absence of sediment, however, coralline algae enhanced the NPP of assemblages with a fucoid canopy, showing the importance of synergistic interactions among the components of multi-layered assemblages in optimizing light use. Nutrient enrichment had a less pervasive influence on the dominant fucoids H. banksii and C. torulosa than sedimentation. In laboratory experiments, nutrients stimulated the growth of H. banksii and C. torulosa germlings. However, negative impacts of high nutrient levels were observed for the early life stages of D. antarctica. The abundance of opportunistic, fast-growing algae rapidly increased in response to nutrient enrichment both in the laboratory and in the field. Impacts of ephemeral species on fucoid early life stages were only evident in laboratory contexts, where green algae of the genus Ulva impaired both the settlement of H. banksii zygotes and the growth of its germlings. Fucoid recruitment in the field was not affected by increased covers of ephemeral algae caused by enhanced nutrient regimes, indicating that H. banksii and C. torulosa may be resistant to short-term (one year) nutrient pollution. In the laboratory, increased temperatures within the range predicted for the end of the 21st century caused increased mortality in the H. banksii, C. torulosa and D. antarctica germlings. In a separate experiment, a combination of warmer water temperatures and nutrient enrichment enhanced the growth of ephemeral green algae. These results suggest that opposite responses to altered climate conditions may contribute to shifts from complex biogenic habitats dominated by macroalgal canopies to simplified systems monopolized by a limited number of stress-tolerant species. This research contributes to a clearer mechanistic understanding of biotic and physical mechanisms shaping the structure of coastal marine hard bottom communities under increasingly stressful conditions worldwide. These findings may provide insights for other studies investigating the complex mosaic of challenges facing marine coastal ecosystems.

No description available.

No description available.

A plethora of naturally-produced steroid hormones, or artificial homologues of them, are being introduced into the aquatic and terrestrial environments each year. Two examples of these are the natural oestrogen 17-oestradiol (E2) and the oestrogen receptor antagonist, Bisphenol A (BPA), both of which target the ribonucleoprotein telomerase through upregulation of its telomerase reverse transcriptase component, TERT. The main objectives of this study were firstly to isolate and characterize the actual mRNA sequence for the telomerase catalytic subuninit, Tert, in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (Walbaum, 1792) and European purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) (Lamarck, 1816), with the aim of developing qPCR assays for the amplification and quantification of Tert. Further objectives were to use these assays in controlled exposure studies to establish whether and to what extent the aforementioned chemicals regulate Tert transcription and by doing so further understand the mechanism of Telomerase gene expression and the extent to which environmental oestrogen can interfere. The initial step of sequence characterization and assay devlopment was successful in the case of rainbow trout where two possible splice variants of Tert mRNA are identified, omTertShort and omTertLong. Two qPCR assays were developed for the relative quantification of both of these splice variants in rainbow trout samples, the latter of these successfully amplifying its target in test samples. In order to demonstrate in vitro and in vivo modulation of telomerase activity and mRNA expression, early life-stages of rainbow trout and purple sea urchin, as well as rainbow trout hepatocytes, were exposed to a range of concentrations of E2 and BPA. Purple sea urchin embryos were exposed to 200, 20 and 2 ng E2/ml for 28 hours until they had reached the stage of pluteus larvaes. Rainbow trout embryos were exposed to 500, 20 and 0.1 ng E2/ml and 600 and 150 ng BPA/ml for 167 days from immediately after fertilization. Rainbow trout hepatocytes were exposed to 20 and 2 ng E2/ml for 48 hours. The results from this study show that telomerase activity as well as TERT mRNA expression can be significantly modulated by exposure to oestrogens and other oestrogenic chemicals. E2 concentrations as low as 20 ng/ml lead to an increase in telomerase activity early-life stages of purple sea urchin and upregulation in the transcription of Tert mRNA in unhatched rainbow trout embryos. BPA induced similar response (600 ng/ml) in hatched rainbow trout alevins larvae. Very high exposures to E2 (500 ng/ml) do however lead to downregulation of Tert mRNA in hatched alevins larvae. Differential regulatory response can be observed between different tissue types of 167 day old fry, with an upregulatory response observed at 0.1 ng E2/ml in liver and muscle tissues, but not in brain. Similarly, brain tissues were observed expressing significantly less mRNA than liver and muscle samples when exposed to BPA (150 ng/ml). It is evident that the previously observed link between environmental oestrogens and telomerase is also present in the two test species examined; purple sea urchin and rainbow trout.