Publications

Almost winning: Induced MEG theta power in insula and orbitofrontal cortex increases during gambling near-misses and is associated with BOLD signal and gambling severity

Publication ID: pub.1017132505

Publication date: 20/01/2014

Keywords: Adolescent; Adult; Alpha Rhythm; Cerebral Cortex; Frontal Lobe; Gambling; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Interview, Psychological; Linear Models; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetoencephalography; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Oxygen

In slot machine gambling, the “near-miss effect” (when a losing display physically resembles an actual win display) has been implicated in pathological gambling (PG). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with PG and non-PG participants shows that near-misses recruit reward-related circuitry, but little is known about the temporal dynamics and oscillatory changes underlying near-misses. The present […]

Evidence for strong seasonality in the carbon storage and carbon use efficiency of an Amazonian forest

Publication ID: pub.1015126320

Publication date: 20/01/2014

Keywords: Brazil; Carbon Cycle; Eastern Amazonian Forest; Models, Theoretical; Seasons; Soil; Trees; Tropical Climate; Water

The relative contribution of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration to seasonal changes in the net carbon flux of tropical forests remains poorly quantified by both modelling and field studies. We use data assimilation to combine nine ecological time series from an eastern Amazonian forest, with mass balance constraints from an ecosystem carbon cycle model. […]

Increasing frequency of extreme El Niño events due to greenhouse warming

Publication ID: pub.1017951288

Publication date: 19/01/2014

Keywords: Atmospheric Convection; Climate Models; Climate Variability; Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phases 3 and 5; Disrupted; El Niño; Equatorial Eastern Pacific; Extreme Weather Events; Frequency; Greenhouse Warming

Extreme El Niño events cause global disruption of weather patterns and affect ecosystems and agriculture through changes in rainfall. Model projections show that a doubling in the occurrence of such extreme episodes is caused by increased surface warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which results in the atmospheric conditions required for these event to […]

Reliability Indicators for Water Distribution System Design: Comparison

Publication ID: pub.1057645104

Publication date: 15/01/2014

Keywords: Anytown; Optimization; Pumps; Rehabilitation; Reliability; US; Water Distribution Systems; Water Quality; Water Tanks

When designing a water distribution system (WDS), it is imperative that the reliability of the network is taken into consideration. It is possible to directly evaluate the reliability of a WDS, although the calculation processes involved are computationally intensive and thus undesirable for some state-of-the-art, iterative design approaches (such as optimization). Consequently, interest has recently […]

Impacts of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles on marine organisms

Publication ID: pub.1049240507

Publication date: 18/12/2013

Keywords: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Bivalvia; Fishes; Gills; Metal Nanoparticles; Water Pollutants, Chemical

Increasing use of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles [Me(O)NPs] in products means many will inevitably find their way into marine systems. Their likely fate here is sedimentation following hetero-aggregation with natural organic matter and/or free anions, putting benthic, sediment-dwelling and filter feeding organisms most at risk. In marine systems, Me(O)NPs can absorb to micro-organisms with […]

Operationalizing the Resilience of Coral Reefs in an Era of Climate Change

Publication ID: pub.1041689315

Publication date: 28/06/2013

Keywords: Belize Barrier Reef System; Caribbean; Grazing; Marine Reserve; Parrotfish; Remote Sensing; Wave Exposure

Ecosystem management frequently aims to manage resilience yet measuring resilience has proven difficult. Here, we quantify the ecological resilience of the largest reef in the Caribbean and map potential benefits of marine reserves under two scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions. Resilience is calculated using spatial ecological models and defined as the probability of a reef […]