Oyster reef habitats have declined from historic levels due to a variety of reasons, including overharvest, disease, and degraded water quality. The harvesting of oysters has led to a loss of reef habitat for both oysters and reef-associated fauna. When oysters spawn, the larval oysters, or spat, depend on hard substrate for settlement and growth. Oyster shell is the preferred substrate for use in restoration because it most closely matches natural reef habitat, but it is often expensive and in limited supply. This study incorporated field and laboratory experiments to assess the relative habitat value of alternative substrates (crushed concrete, porcelain, crushed limestone, and river rock, as well as oyster shell) for larval oyster recruitment as well as reef resident fishes and macro-invertebrates. Replicate trays of each substrate type were deployed in St. Charles Bay, TX for four months during spring and summer 2012 and assessed for oyster recruitment and faunal diversity and density. Concrete, river rock, limestone and porcelain had similar spat recruitment densities compared to oyster shell (1300-2300 spat). Spat shell heights were also larger on these substrates (13-16 mm), while spat on porcelain substrates were slightly smaller (10-13 mm). All substrates except bare sediment had similar fauna species densities (200-500 individuals m-2). Limestone had lower fauna diversity (H’; 0-1) than concrete and shell (1-2). Laboratory experiments compared the effectiveness of these substrates in providing prey refuge from pinfish and blue crab predators. All substrates performed similarly resulting in very low (<20 %) prey mortality rates for either predator. Results may enable future restoration plans to be implemented at a lower cost while providing similar habitat functions.

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ABSTRACT Rationale: Respiratory insufficiency is one of the most common causes of death in patients with neuromuscular disorders (NMD). Due to weakness and cognitive level, children with NMD often cannot perform required maneuvers to recruit lung volume. Data from cooperative adults suggest that breath stacking with a mask and one-way valve can obtain significantly higher lung volumes. Methods: To study the effectiveness of a breath stacking mask in patients with NMD, we studied 23 children (17 male, 6 female) over 3 years, mean age 11 y (range 3-19 y) and body mass 43.8 kg (range 12-80 kg). Fifteen were cognitively aware and able to communicate verbally. For involuntary breath stacking a one-way valve and pneumotach were attached to a cushioned mask that was held to the face, covering around nose and mouth with a tight seal. Flow signals were acquired to computer (AcqKnowledge BIOPAC Inc.). Tidal volumes (Vt) and minute ventilation (VE) were calculated from the recording for 30 s before and 30 s after 15 s of valve closure during which expiration was prevented. Oxygen saturation (SaO2) was measured. Results: The mean Vt before valve closure was 277 ml (range 29-598 ml). The mean increase in volume by stacking was 599 ± 558 ml (range -140 to 2,916 ml). When normalized to body mass, mean increase above normal end inspiratory level was 14.7 ± 14.7 ml/kg (range -2.7 to 52.2 ml/kg). The mean number of stacked breaths was 4.5 ± 3.6 (range 0-17). VE increased on average by 18% after stacking (p<0.05, paired t-test). There was no change in SaO2 after stacking. Four of the 23 children did not stack. Conclusions: Our findings show that breath stacking with a mask and a one-way valve can achieve breath volumes approximately 3x Vt. The mask was tolerated well, and cooperation of the child was not required.

Monocyte recruitment promotes the accumulation of myeloid foam cells in early atherosclerotic plaques. However, initial foam cells form prior to increased monocyte recruitment in hypercholesterolemic Ldlr-/- mice. These initial foam cells are derived from myeloid cells residing in the normal intima, and express integrin alphaX (CD11c). The goal of this thesis was to assess the role of initial foam cells in atherogenesis. The approach was to delete these cells by diphtheria toxin-induced apoptosis in Ldlr-/- bone marrow chimeras. Depletion of CD11c+ leukocytes resulted in significant reductions of intimal lipid accumulation, monocyte recruitment, intimal chemokine expression, but not endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression, at 10 and 21 days of hypercholesterolemia. These data suggest that lipid uptake by resident intimal CD11c-expressing myeloid cells during the earliest stages of atherosclerosis promotes chemokine production that is required for increased monocyte recruitment.

Monocyte recruitment promotes the accumulation of myeloid foam cells in early atherosclerotic plaques. However, initial foam cells form prior to increased monocyte recruitment in hypercholesterolemic Ldlr-/- mice. These initial foam cells are derived from myeloid cells residing in the normal intima, and express integrin alphaX (CD11c). The goal of this thesis was to assess the role of initial foam cells in atherogenesis. The approach was to delete these cells by diphtheria toxin-induced apoptosis in Ldlr-/- bone marrow chimeras. Depletion of CD11c+ leukocytes resulted in significant reductions of intimal lipid accumulation, monocyte recruitment, intimal chemokine expression, but not endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression, at 10 and 21 days of hypercholesterolemia. These data suggest that lipid uptake by resident intimal CD11c-expressing myeloid cells during the earliest stages of atherosclerosis promotes chemokine production that is required for increased monocyte recruitment.

<p>The mycorrhizal mutualism is one of the earliest and most influential of all terrestrial symbioses. As the primary method used by most plants to acquire nutrients from the soil, mycorrhizal fungi help to shape the structure and composition of many ecosystems. Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi play an especially significant role because most EM fungi prefer a limited number of host taxa, and EM plant species likewise associate with only a fraction of the available EM fungi. This host preference issue, combined with the high diversity of EM fungi in forest ecosystems, complicates interspecies competition both among fungi and among plants, because these plant and fungal communities interact.</p><p>Despite recent attempts at documenting mycorrhizal fungi in the context of ecological succession, many questions remain about the underlying causal relationships among EM fungi, soil conditions, and plant community assembly. The succession of mycorrhizal fungi often mirrors the succession of plants, and ectomycorrhizal (EM) community composition may affect the outcome of competition among trees during succession. In a pine-oak seral system, we tested the ability of <italic>Pinus taeda</italic> and <italic>Quercus alba</italic> seedlings to associate with EM fungi when planted under both conspecific and heterospecific adults. We found that EM communities under pine and oak canopy were distinct regardless of seedling identity, indicating that the fungal associations of adult trees determine which EM species are available in the soil. In addition, pine seedlings planted under oak canopy showed decreased mycorrhization and growth compared to those planted under pine canopy, while oak seedlings showed no negative effects of heterospecific planting. This impaired ability of pine seedlings to associate with the EM community established under oaks may deter pine recruitment and facilitate the late-seral replacement of pines with oaks.</p><p>While EM fungal communities correlate with the dominant species of host tree, soil properties do as well, making it difficult to establish causality among these three variables. Soil was collected from oak- and pine-dominated stands and dried to kill off mature mycelium, leaving only the spore bank as a source of inoculum for pine and oak seedlings. EM root tips were collected for molecular identification of fungal species based on ITS barcoding, and soil samples from field and laboratory conditions were analyzed for fungal diversity using 454 sequencing. We found a reduced influence of canopy type and a more pronounced influence of seedling identity when compared to the EM communities on seedlings planted in the field, suggesting that adult trees do alter the availability of fungi by directly promoting the growth of their preferred EM associates.</p><p>The availability of EM fungi can also affect seedlings at the interface between EM- an AM-dominated forest. We tested the hypothesis that seedlings of <italic>Dicymbe corymbosa</italic> which recruit outside of monodominant stands have limited access to EM symbionts compared with those which recruit inside <italic>D. corymbosa</italic> stands. EM root tips and rhizosphere soil were collected from seedlings along two transects inside monodominant stands and three transects in the transition zone into mixed forest dominated by AM associates. Seedlings inside monodominant stands yielded both a greater quantity of mycorrhized root tips and a higher diversity of EM species than transition zone seedlings. Of the fungal families commonly found on adult roots, the Boletaceae were notably underrepresented on all seedlings. In the transition zones, high-throughput sequencing of soil also detected a decrease in EM diversity with distance from the parent tree.</p><p>Seedlings of <italic>D. corymbosa</italic> may benefit from recruiting within monodominant stands by tapping into common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) to acquire low-cost nitrogen and, potentially, photosynthates produced by conspecific adults. Leaves of stand adults, stand seedlings, and mixed-forest seedlings were collected for stable isotope analysis to track the transfer of nitrogen and carbon through CMNs. The &delta;<super>13</super>C and &delta;<super>15</super>N results contradicted each other, suggesting that more complicated interactions may be playing out among adults, seedlings, and fungi.</p> / Dissertation

I följande uppsats undersöker vi rekryterarens bedömningsproblematik i vardagen. Ämnet är relevant eftersom arbetsmarknaden ständigt utvecklas vilket innebär att rekryterarens objektiva bedömning har försvårats. Rekryteraren måste hitta en balansgång mellan den subjektiva och objektiva bedömningen. Studiens syfte är att undersöka rekryterarens perspektiv på och upplevelser om rekryteringsprocessen. För att få en djupare förståelse kring rekryterarnas bedömningsproblematik vid en rekrytering. Våra frågeställningar är följande: Vilken bedömningsproblematik möter rekryterare i vardagen? Hur kan rekryteraren hitta en balansgång mellan objektiv och subjektiv bedömning i rekryteringsprocessen? Utifrån vårt syfte och våra frågeställningar har vi genomfört en kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Vi har genomfört sex intervjuer med rekryterare på en offentlig verksamhet och två privata rekryteringsföretag. I denna studie utgår vi ifrån våra intervjupersoners åsikter, upplevelser och erfarenhet inom vårt ämnesområde. Empirin har transkriberats och analyserats med hjälp av en fenomenografisk analysmetod. Studiens resultat presenteras efter följande kategorier: Kravprofilen betydelse i en rekrytering, Att utföra en rättvis bedömning, Vikten av ett ärligt informationsutbyte, Bedömning av tillförlitligheten hos referenspersonerna och Hjälpmedel för objektiv bedömning. Sammanfattningsvis tyder resultatet på att rekryteraren har svårt att finna en balansgång mellan den subjektiva och objektiva bedömningen. Rekryterarna är medvetna om vilka problem som kan uppstå och kan med hjälp av deras erfarenhet finna lösningar på problemen. Problemen som uppstår vid en rekrytering skiljer sig inte emellan den offentliga verksamheten och rekryteringsföretagen. Avslutningsvis har vi diskuterat undersökningens resultat och analys utifrån våra teorier och modeller om rekrytering och bedömning.

I dagsläget har sociala medier fått en större roll i rekryteringsprocessen. Genom en induktiv ansats fokuserade denna forskning på att urskilja vilken roll sociala medier spelar då arbetsgivare bakgrundsgranskar arbetssökande. Undersökningen inriktade sig mot vad arbetsgivare tittade på samt i vilken utsträckning de lät sig påverkas av informationen i sina beslutsfattanden. Totalt intervjuades åtta personer inom personalyrket. I resultatet lyftes bland annat ett etiskt perspektiv med olika dilemman så som generationsskillnader och människosyn samt egen kritisk förmåga. Det visade sig att skillnaderna var stora i både tillvägagångssätt och värderingen av information tillgänglig online. De flesta informanterna uttryckte att de ville stämma överens informationen med vad som framkom via ansökan och intervjuer.Många uttryckte även att de samlade frågor inför en intervju, med hjälp av sociala medier.Informanterna uppvisade en stor medvetenhet gällande både den källkritiska och självkritiska förmågan. Med vissa undantag då exempelvis nyfikenheten tog över och underminerade den kompetensbaserade rekryteringen. Informanterna uttryckte att rekryteringsprocessen är underständig utveckling. Sociala medier kunde enligt informanterna ses som ett komplement till denna komplexa process men värderades inte lika högt som mötet med den arbetssökande.Den kritik som riktas mot sociala medier som verktyg kunde i slutänden istället riktas mot användaren av verktyget, det vill säga rekryteraren.

The aim of this study was to investigate if a mechanical recruitment process could be a useful tool for employers to avoid discrimination. National and international law protect jobseekers from discrimination during the recruiting process. Despite this individuals frequently report that they are treated unfairly when they apply for a job. In line with this research shows that some individuals do not have the same opportunities in the labour market as the rest of the population. This study focus on discrimination based on ethnicity, age, gender or disability. Today most of the hiring decisions are based on employers professional judgement. This constitute a potential risk for discrimination since the judgement can be influenced by prejudices and stereotypes. The research shows that employers tend to measure variables which are not relevant for individuals future job performance when they make decisions in selection processes. A mechanical approach for the recruitment can broadly correct for this since it is based on standardized procedures that eliminates human judgement. The data collection of candidates strictly relate to a defined job profile which only contains criterions that are of importance for the employment. Pre-specified algorithms are later on used for combining each candidates data into an overall assessment. This regulates that the same criteria is measured for all individuals. In order to analyse the material a legal dogmatic method has been combined with a legal sociology method.

Inom kommunikationsbranschen råder det hög konkurrens om arbeten för både nyutexaminerade arbetssökande och de med erfarenhet. En viktig del i ansök-ningshandlingarna är en portfolio som visuellt visar personens kompetens och talang.Denna kvantitativa studie har genom en webbenkät med 50 byråer inom kom-munikationsbranschen undersökt hur de rekryterar ny personal samt deras per-spektiv kring portfolion i samband med detta. Studien har även syftat till att belysa skillnader i svaren beroende på byråernas storlek.Resultaten från enkäten visade att den vanligaste kanalen vid anställning inom kommunikationsbranschen är via personliga kontakter och att det är portfolions kvalité som väger tyngst vid anställning. Vid ansökan föredrog byråerna en digital portfolio men vid en arbetsintervju såg de helst en kombination av en fysisk och digital portfolio. Mindre skillnader fanns i svaren beroende på byrå-storleken. / In the communication industry, the competition is challenging amongst both new graduates looking for employment and those with experience. An im-portant part of the application is a portfolio that visually shows the person's skills and talents.An online questionnaire survey of 50 firms in the communications industry was used to investigate how they recruit new staff, as well as their perspective on the portfolio in this context. The study is also aimed at highlighting differences in the responses, depending on the size of the agencies.The results of the survey showed that the most common way for employment in the communications industry is through personal contacts, and that the quality of the portfolio is the most important when hiring. When applying for a job the agencies preferred to receive a digital portfolio, but at a job interview they pre-ferred a combination of a physical and digital portfolio. Minor differences were found in the responses depending on the size of the agency.