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The EU has expanded many times and many countries still aspire to join. Enlargement illustrates the success of the European model of integration. It has also provided the EU with a powerful tool to influence domestic politics in would-be members. But enlargement also poses fundamental challenges. It has implications both for how the EU works (its structure and institutions) and for what it does (its policies). The chapter first compares ‘widening’ and ‘deepening’ before discussing enlargement as a form of soft power. It then explains how the EU has expanded and why countries want to join. It also looks at wider Europe and the EU’s relationship with Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland, as well as prospective members in the Balkan countries. The chapter goes on to consider the EU’s relationship with Turkey and the European Neighbourhood Policy. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the potential limits of EU expansion and an evaluation of the enlargement process.

Urbanisation radically changes habitats and alters available resources. Populations of large, highly mobile species are often extirpated at the urban-wildland interface, while species like mesocarnivores may thrive by capitalising on changes in prey abundance. We investigated the diet of the caracal (Caracal caracal), a medium-sized felid inhabiting patchy natural habitat isolated within the dense urban matrix of South Africa’s second largest city, Cape Town. We systematically integrated two classic dietary methods (scat and GPS clusters) by accounting for gut transit times. As part of a larger caracal ecology study, we GPS-collared 26 individuals over a two-year period (2014–2016) to generate coarse (3-hour) and fine-scale (20-minute) GPS movement data. Using the movement data, we investigated 677 GPS-clusters for prey remains. We collected 654 scats, half of which were found at GPS-clusters and were linked with the individual sampled. By systematically correcting for a range of gut transit times, we determined whether scat at cluster sites was from the same or an earlier feeding event, thereby increasing the overall detection of feeding events by > 50%. Avian prey dominated GPS cluster findings while micromammals were overwhelmingly represented in scat. Although > 40% of feeding events occurred within 200 meters of the urban edge, caracals largely preyed on native species. Our findings have implications for understanding the ability of some species to persist in the face of rapid environmental change, human-wildlife conflict, pathogen transmission, and bioaccumulation of pesticides. Further, this approach could be incorporated into studies that estimate foraging-explicit resource selection and habitat preference.

Klein (1) challenges two interpretations in Niespolo et al. (2). Regarding his first point, we maintain that Ysterfontein 1 (YFT1) does provide the oldest known example of full coastal adaptation as indicated by the presence of shell middens (cf. ref. 3). Klein inaccurately characterizes the age of the deepest shell midden layers at Klasies River Main (KRM) given in ref. 4. While other workers identify even the oldest light brown sand (LBS) layer at KRM as similar in age or younger than the deepest deposits at YFT1 (cf. refs. 5 and 6), the reference cited by Klein (4) and subsequent dating efforts show that the shell midden lenses in beach-sand deposits within the LBS layer likely postdate the marine isotope stage 5e sea level highstand (∼120 ka) as does the midden at YFT1. However, existing dates suggest that KRM shell middens may, in fact, be younger than YFT1. Layer LBS has been directly dated using multiple techniques that converge on an age of ∼104 ka (5), notably younger than the 95% confidence interval for YFT1 deposition (2). However, complicating matters, a capping speleothem with a U-series age of ∼110 ka is interpreted as a minimum age of the LBS layer at KRM (5). Thus, layer LBS yields conflicting dates and its true age remains uncertain. The next oldest layer at KRM hosting midden deposits (layer shell and sand [SAS]) is definitively younger than YFT1 (5, 7). Thus, there is no basis for the assertion that KRM middens are older than those at YFT1, and we stand by our claim that YFT1 provides the oldest currently known example of systematic coastal resource exploitation.

Modern human behavioral innovations from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) include the earliest indicators of full coastal adaptation evidenced by shell middens, yet many MSA middens remain poorly dated. We apply (230)Th/U burial dating to ostrich eggshells (OES) from Ysterfontein 1 (YFT1, Western Cape, South Africa), a stratified MSA shell midden. (230)Th/U burial ages of YFT1 OES are relatively precise (median ± 2.7%), consistent with other age constraints, and preserve stratigraphic principles. Bayesian age–depth modeling indicates YFT1 was deposited between 119.9 to 113.1 thousand years ago (ka) (95% CI of model ages), and the entire 3.8 m thick midden may have accumulated within ∼2,300 y. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopes of OES indicate that during occupation the local environment was dominated by C(3) vegetation and was initially significantly wetter than at present but became drier and cooler with time. Integrating archaeological evidence with OES (230)Th/U ages and stable isotopes shows the following: 1) YFT1 is the oldest shell midden known, providing minimum constraints on full coastal adaptation by ∼120 ka; 2) despite rapid sea-level drop and other climatic changes during occupation, relative shellfish proportions and sizes remain similar, suggesting adaptive foraging along a changing coastline; 3) the YFT1 lithic technocomplex is similar to other west coast assemblages but distinct from potentially synchronous industries along the southern African coast, suggesting human populations were fragmented between seasonal rainfall zones; and 4) accumulation rates (up to 1.8 m/ka) are much higher than previously observed for dated, stratified MSA middens, implying more intense site occupation akin to Later Stone Age middens.

This study tests the association between opal phytoliths in dental calculus on modern, historic, and prehistoric specimens of Loxodonta africana (African savanna elephant) with their local and regional vegetation. The modern samples were obtained from dental remains from deceased animals at the Addo Elephant National Park (Eastern Cape Province) and the Pilanesberg National Park & Game Reserve (Northwest Province) in the Republic of South Africa. The historic and prehistoric specimens, presumed to be free-roaming elephants, were sampled from museum collections in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces. In addition to comparing phytolith assemblages in dental calculus with those of the main vegetation associations, this study assesses the phytolith assemblage differences between free-roaming and park elephants. The results show that: (1) the phytolith assemblages in dental calculus of park elephants show little variation among individual specimens and close resemblance to phytolith assemblages of soils inside their areas of confinement; (2) the free-roaming specimens have a much higher diversity of phytolith morphotypes than those in parks and reserves, exhibiting sometimes typical signatures of more than one biome; (3) free-roaming Cape elephants from fynbos areas have significant amounts of Restionaceae phytoliths, which suggests that grazing on restios in grass-poor fynbos types was important; (4) short saddles, typical of Chloridoideae grasses, are always the most abundant short-cell morphotypes in dental samples, even in areas where other grass subfamilies dominate, and (5) with some limitations, the study of phytoliths in herbivore dental calculus has a high, largely unexplored, potential in paleoecology and conservation ecology.

Specialist predators are generally negatively impacted by habitat change. Predators that inhabit transformed areas are usually forced to diversify their diet and this departure away from traditional resources can have negative consequences for fitness and demographic parameters. We consider this relationship as it applies to Verreaux's eagles Aquila verreauxii, which is typically considered to be a highly specialised predator of hyraxes (Procavia and Heterohyrax spp.). We investigate diet in relation to land cover in two adjacent areas of South Africa and explore the links between diet diversity, the percentage of hyrax consumed, and the breeding performance of eagles. We also examine these same patterns using data from other studies. We found that diet diversity was greater in the agriculturally developed Sandveld region compared to the natural Cederberg region. Proportions of the three main prey types were correlated with the proportion of agriculturally developed land around the nest site. Breeding performance was correlated with the diet, but not in the manner expected, with breeding productivity being greater in regions with large diet diversity and a small proportion of hyrax in the diet. We found similar patterns when placing our results into a broader geographical context using other dietary studies of Verreaux's eagles, suggesting our results were not unique to our study system. Thus, our results suggest that diet diversification does not necessarily impinge on breeding performance in the presence of adequate alternative prey resources. This research adds to the growing number of studies suggesting that some predators may be adaptable up to a threshold level of habitat transformation. These results have implications for predicting changes on such species by anthropogenic habitat transformation and highlight the potential for agriculturally developed areas to maintain a conservation value when habitat heterogeneity is maintained.

The aim of this study was to investigate the species composition of prey caught in the forest, savanna and emerging habitats in which African Crowned Eagles Stephanoaetus coronatus breed in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. At the 17 nest sites, the remains of 195 prey individuals were collected. The five dominant prey species caught were Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis , Vervet Monkey Chlorocebus pygerythrus , Blue Duiker Philantomba monticola , Greater Canerat Thryonomys swinderianus and Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus . All of these species respond positively to urban expansion. Only eagles that nested inside protected areas were recorded preying on domestic animals. In terms of biomass, Bushbuck was one of the dominant taxa, and the remains of an estimated 28.8 kg Bushbuck ram was found under a nest. The surprisingly high proportion of Rock Hyraxes and low proportion of Vervet Monkeys caught in emerging habitat may indicate that African Crowned Eagles nesting in this habitat are adapting to a more specialised feeding strategy compared with those nesting in habitats that are more natural. Future studies should investigate how and why prey proliferates in emerging habitats and examine the association between land uses and the diet of African Crowned Eagles. Keywords: African Crowned Eagle, diet, emerging habitat, Stephanoaetus coronatus , urbanisation

The Publisher would like to correct the introduced formatting errors on the caption of Figure 1 and in the data in Table 2.

The EU has expanded many times and many countries still aspire to join. It has extended the prospect of membership to countries in the Balkans and Turkey and has developed a ‘neighbourhood’ policy towards other countries, some of which may want to join in the future. Enlargement illustrates the success of the European model of integration. It has also provided the EU with a powerful tool to influence domestic politics in would-be members. But enlargement also poses fundamental challenges. It has implications both for how the EU works (its structure and institutions) and for what it does (its policies). The chapter first compares ‘widening’ and ‘deepening’ before discussing enlargement as soft power. It then explains how the EU has expanded and why countries want to join. It also looks at prospective member states: the Balkan countries, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland. Finally, it examines the European Neighbourhood Policy.

We conducted a taphonomic analysis of modern prey accumulations of Verreaux's Eagle (VE; Aquila verreauxii) from the Cape Floral Region of South Africa. VE nest in or around cliffs and rocky outcrops, places that also attract other bone accumulators, including humans. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the signatures of VE bone accumulation with as much precision as possible in order to differentiate between the prey remains of other bone accumulators, especially in relation to fossil assemblages that originate in and around cliffs, rock shelters, and caves. Towards this end, we describe the taxonomic composition, skeletal-part representation, bone breakage patterns, and bone surface modifications of mammal bones as well as the range of variability within those signatures. Based on the frequency of bone modifications we determine that VE modify the bones of their prey more often than do other eagle species. We suggest that taphonomic patterns derived from predation by other eagle taxa are not the most appropriate means to identify VE predation in faunal assemblages. In addition, we conclude that there is patterned variability in the ways that VE accumulate and modify the bones of their prey. There are two distinct skeletal-parts preservation, bone breakage, and bone surface modification patterns among the prey in our sample: one that characterizes hyraxes, mole-rats, and carnivores, and another that characterizes hares and bovids. Faunal analysts investigating the potential role of VE at fossil sites should be aware of 1) these taphonomic patterns and differences and 2) that there is no singular pattern of accumulation. We define patterns of preservation, breakage, and bone modification that can be employed on a taxon-specific basis to distinguish VE prey remains from other bone accumulators.

[EN]: Studying the diet of wild animals is central for understanding their flexibility in food requirements. The Black Harrier Circus maurus is an endangered raptor in South Africa and Namibia. To date, information about the diet of the species is insufficient for a comprehensive understanding of its ecology. We studied the diet composition of breeding Black Harriers using c. 1 000 pellets (>1 700 identified prey) collected at nest sites in two geographical regions (coastal vs inland) over 10 breeding seasons (2006–2015). We show the importance of small mammals in Black Harrier diet (64.4% and 78.2% of prey and consumed biomass, respectively), with the four-striped mouse Rhabdomys pumilio being a main trophic resource. We also reveal the importance of birds and reptiles as alternative prey, particularly in inland regions, and show inter-annual variations in diet in both regions. Our study confirms that this species can be considered a small mammal specialist. Specialist predators are more vulnerable than generalist ones and diet specialisation has been linked with a poorer conservation status in other species. Our results thus have implications for the conservation of this species in southern Africa. These are highlighted for the long-term sustainability of this threatened endemic species. [FR]: L’étude du régime alimentaire des animaux sauvages est essentielle afin d’étudier leurs besoins, leur flexibilité ou dépendance. Le busard noir Circus maurus est un rapace rare et menacé, endémique d’Afrique méridionale. L’information actuelle sur son alimentation est insuffisante pour une compréhension globale de leur écologie. Dans cet article, nous étudions le régime alimentaire d’individus reproducteurs en utilisant l´analyse d’environ 1 000 pelotes de rejection (>1 700 proies identifiées) collectées au nid dans deux régions géographiques contrastées (côtière et intérieur) pendant 10 saisons de reproduction (2006–2015). Nous montrons l’importance des micromammifères dans l’alimentation du busard noir (64.4 % de proies et 78.2% de biomasse consommée) et en particulier du rat de champ rayé Rhabdomys pumilio qui est la principale ressource trophique. Nous révélons également l’importance des oiseaux et reptiles comme proies alternatives, notamment dans les régions de l’intérieur, et montrons des variations interannuelles du régime alimentaire dans les deux régions. Notre étude confirme que cette espèce peut être considérée comme spécialiste de micromammifères. Les prédateurs spécialistes sont d’ordinaire plus vulnérables que les généralistes, et leur spécialisation alimentaire va généralement de pair avec un statut de conservation plus défavorable que pour d’autres prédateurs généralistes. Nos résultats ont des implications pour la conservation et la viabilité à long terme de cette espèce endémique et menacée d’Afrique méridionale. This study was funded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF; Grant no. 90582 to RES), the DST-NRF Centre ofExcellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas PIE 201330E106) and by private landowners and organisations. Particular thanks for economic support are due to BirdLife South Africa, Inkwazi and Wits Bird Club, “Golden Fleece Merino”, the University of Cape Town Research Council (URC), Jakkalsfontein Private Nature Reserve, the Two Oceans Slope Soarers (TOSS), Natural Research UK, Hawk Mountain (USA), the Peregrine Fund, Sven Carlsson-Smith, Nial Perrins, Chris Cory, Gisela Ortner and James Smith. FM and BA thank the University of Cape Town for financial support (2015 Science Faculty Distinguished Visitor award to FM; and Foreign Research Fellowship through A Amar to BA).

There is a lot of interest in combining aftertreatment system components to reduce packaging volume and cost. One example of this is the SCRF®, which consists of an NH3 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst coated on a diesel particulate filter (DPF). In this work, a one-dimensional model for an SCRF® has been developed. The model was produced by combining kinetics for either a Cu-zeolite or an Fe-zeolite SCR catalyst, originally developed for a flow-through monolith, with a physical model for a coated DPF. The kinetics for the various NH3NOX reactions, as well as for NH3 oxidation, were developed from laboratory microreactor data. The model is capable of predicting the conversion of NO and NO2, NH3 slip and the formation of N2O, as well as effects associated with NH3 storage and desorption. In the model, reactants can diffuse to the catalytic coating both from the gas flowing along the coated channel (as in a flow-through monolith) and from the gas flowing through the filter wall. The model has been validated against engine data for both light- and heavy-duty diesel conditions. In general, good agreement between model prediction and the experimental data was achieved for both Cu- and Fe-zeolite SCRF®s. It is demonstrated that SCR kinetics developed for a flow-through monolith are capable of giving a good prediction when the same coating is applied to a wall-flow filter in the SCRF®. The model has been applied to investigate the interaction between SCR and DPF functionality. The presence of soot on the SCRF® is predicted to have no significant impact on NOX conversion. Conversely, SCR activity (NOX reduction) is predicted to significantly retard the rate of soot removal by oxidation with NO2. Both predictions are in agreement with experimental results.

Remains of phocid and otariid seals from published and unpublished palaeontological and archaeological occurrences on the South African coast are reviewed. New phocid material supports Hendey's earlier contention that Homiphoca capensis was a breeding resident during the Early Pliocene (5 Ma) and extends its distribution. Lobodon carcinophagus is recorded from the Middle Pleistocene (270 ka) and Late Pleistocene. Arctocephalus is recorded from the Pliocene (probably 5 Ma, but possibly only 2.7 Ma) and A. pusillus from the Middle Pleistocene (~330 ka). Late Pleistocene records for Hydrurga leptonyx, Mirounga leonina, A. pusillus and A. gazella are listed. The possibility that Homiphoca capensis and Arctocephalus (sp. nov.) co-existed during the Pliocene is discussed.

The Lisbon Treaty adapts the EU's institutional structures into a new architecture for foreign affairs. It creates a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy with responsibility as Vice-President in the Commission for work on external affairs (“first pillar”) and in the Council for common foreign and security policy (“second pillar”). To assist this person in his/her tasks it creates a European External Action Service and Union Delegations in non-EU countries, which may develop into a European Diplomatic Service. The article examines the service's tasks, timing, institutional place, staff, structure and budget, and the participation of EU member states.

Non-medical prescribing has undergone radical changes in recent years, and there is clearly a need to evaluate its impact on practice. The study reported in this article focused on one county in the south-east of England. A two-part strategy was adopted: a questionnaire was distributed to all nurses who held the non-medical prescribing qualification; and interviews conducted with a variety of nurses, pharmacists, doctors and managers. An earlier paper ( Avery et al, 2007 ) focused on the extent to which effectiveness of non-medical prescribing was associated with the doctor–nurse relationship, but this article examines its impact for all the stakeholders involved. The findings suggested that, in a number of areas, patient throughput was increasing, nurses and doctors were re-assessing their roles, and that the qualification enhanced personal feelings of job satisfaction and autonomy. Moreover, although patients were not directly involved in the study, the overall perception was that they too were experiencing satisfaction with a system that enabled speedier access to treatment.

This paper reports a study that was commissioned to evaluate non-medical prescribing in one health authority in the south-east of England. A questionnaire was distributed to all nurses and pharmacists who held a non-medical prescribing qualification, and this was followed up by semi-structured interviews with nurses, pharmacists, doctors and managers. The findings confirmed that the majority of respondents were very experienced, and that they were making good use of the qualification. In addition, there were clear signs that patient care was being enhanced, but this was more evident when there was a close working relationship with the doctor. In the absence of this relationship, there is a need for the organization to develop a clear strategy for the implementation of non-medical prescribing, which should incorporate the views of all key stakeholders.

This chapter focuses on the expansion of the European Union and the widening of Europe. Enlargement is often seen as the EU's most successful foreign policy. It has extended prosperity, stability, and good governance to neighbouring countries by means of its membership criteria. However, enlargement is much more than foreign policy: it is the process whereby the external becomes internal. It is about how non-member countries become members, and shape the development of the EU itself. The chapter first compares widening and deepening before discussing enlargement as soft power. It then explains how the EU has expanded and why countries want to join. It also looks at prospective member states: the Balkan countries, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland. Finally, it examines the European Neighbourhood Policy.

An article from the special issue "Eastern African Quaternary Research Association 4th conference" comprising six articles (plus the introduction). This special issue emerged from the PAGES supported meeting: ‘Eastern African Quaternary Climate Change and Variability: A View from the Highlands’ held in Nanyuki Kenya from 23 27 July 2013. ABSTRACT: We compare taphonomically relevant aspects of 6 bone accumulations produced by extant spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta striped hyaenas Hyaena hyaena and brown hyaenas Parahyaena brunnea) from eastern and southern Africa (Republic of Djibouti and Namibia) and published accounts. We highlight similarities and differences in the bone cracking/consumption and bone collecting habits of each hyaena species with a view to revealing criteria that might be used to distinguish these species. Four parameters are described: i) the prey taken and preferences ii) the skeletal part distribution iii) the long bone fragmentation iv) the tooth mark diversity and frequency. Information from hyaena ecology and the ungulate remains recovered from each bone accumulation reveals differences (or a lack thereof) related to environment anthropogenic pressure and ethology. Spotted hyaena hunting strategy and clan size suggest a low degree of inter group competition but high levels of intra group on carcass competition; fewer osteological remains are brought back to dens. In contrast striped and brown hyaenas are primarily scavengers (removing carcass remnants) and produce significant accumulations of bones at their dens. These differences are likely to be related mainly to inter specific competition and serve to reduce interaction with other carnivores and to limit kleptoparasitism; the composition of accumulations at dens is determined by food availability and foraging behaviour to a greater or lesser degree. Modern analogues are essential baseline tools for elucidating characteristics that might distinguish each species. The development of neo taphonomic models is the first step towards comparison and greater understanding of the palaeo ethology of extinct Pleistocene hyaenids.

Human fossils and the genetics of extant human populations indicate that living people derive primarily from an African population that lived within the last 200,000 years. Yet it was only ≈50,000 years ago that the descendants of this population spread to Eurasia, where they swamped or replaced the Neanderthals and other nonmodern Eurasians. Based on archaeological observations, the most plausible hypothesis for the delay is that Africans and Eurasians were behaviorally similar until 50,000 years ago, and it was only at this time that Africans developed a behavioral advantage. The archaeological findings come primarily from South Africa, where they suggest that the advantage involved much more effective use of coastal resources. Until now, the evidence has come mostly from deeply stratified caves on the south (Indian Ocean) coast. Here, we summarize results from recent excavations at Ysterfontein 1, a deeply stratified shelter in a contrasting environment on the west (Atlantic) coast. The Ysterfontein 1 samples of human food debris must be enlarged for a full comparison to samples from other relevant sites, but they already corroborate two inferences drawn from south coast sites: ( i ) coastal foragers before 50,000 years ago did not fish routinely, probably for lack of appropriate technology, and ( ii ) they collected tortoises and shellfish less intensively than later people, probably because their populations were smaller.