Near-IR spectra of IPHAS extremely red Galactic AGB stars

‘The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com '. Copyright Royal Astronomical Society DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15536.xWe present a library of 139 near-IR spectra of cool asymptotic giant branch stars that will be useful for comparison with theoretical model atmosphere calculations and for modelling the integrated emission from intermediate-age stellar populations. The source list was selected from the 'extremely red' region of the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) Photometric Hα Survey (IPHAS) colour–colour plane that is overwhelmingly dominated by very late-type stars. The spectral library also includes a large fraction of S-type and carbon stars. We present a number of spectral classification sequences highlighting the various molecular features identified and discuss a number of rare features with uncertain identifications in the literature. With its focus on particularly cool photospheres, this catalogue serves as a companion to recent spectroscopic atlases of MK standards in the near-IR. Finally, the relationship between IPHAS (r'−i') and (r'− Hα) colours and spectroscopically determined properties is discussed and a strong correlation between the (r'− Hα) colour and the C/O abundance index for S-type and carbon stars is noted. This relation has the potential to separate O-rich, S-type and carbon stars in the Galaxy based on their photometry alone.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the CKM Angles at BaBar And Belle

The primary goal of the BaBar and Belle experiments is to overconstrain the CKM Unitarity Triangle. Measurements of the angles of this triangle, known as {beta}, {alpha}, and {gamma} (or {phi}{sub 1}, {phi}{sub 2}, and {phi}{sub 3}) give insight into the Standard Model description of CP violation in the quark sector. BaBar and Belle have recorded almost 1 ab{sup -1} combined, and have measured {beta} to high precision. Measurements of {alpha} and {gamma} are less precise at present, but both experiments are rapidly accumulating data and developing new analysis techniques, and measurements of these angles will continue to provide useful constraints on the Standard Model description of CP violation in the years to come

Group-based parent training programmes for improving parental psychosocial health.

BACKGROUND: Parental psychosocial health can have a significant effect on the parent-child relationship, with consequences for the later psychological health of the child. Parenting programmes have been shown to have an impact on the emotional and behavioural adjustment of children, but there have been no reviews to date of their impact on parental psychosocial wellbeing. OBJECTIVES: To address whether group-based parenting programmes are effective in improving parental psychosocial wellbeing (for example, anxiety, depression, guilt, confidence). SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following databases on 5 December 2011: CENTRAL (2011, Issue 4), MEDLINE (1950 to November 2011), EMBASE (1980 to week 48, 2011), BIOSIS (1970 to 2 December 2011), CINAHL (1982 to November 2011), PsycINFO (1970 to November week 5, 2011), ERIC (1966 to November 2011), Sociological Abstracts (1952 to November 2011), Social Science Citation Index (1970 to 2 December 2011), metaRegister of Controlled Trials (5 December 2011), NSPCC Library (5 December 2011). We searched ASSIA (1980 to current) on 10 November 2012 and the National Research Register was last searched in 2005. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials that compared a group-based parenting programme with a control condition and used at least one standardised measure of parental psychosocial health. Control conditions could be waiting-list, no treatment, treatment as usual or a placebo. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: At least two review authors extracted data independently and assessed the risk of bias in each study. We examined the studies for any information on adverse effects. We contacted authors where information was missing from trial reports. We standardised the treatment effect for each outcome in each study by dividing the mean difference in post-intervention scores between the intervention and control groups by the pooled standard deviation. MAIN RESULTS: We included 48 studies that involved 4937 participants and covered three types of programme: behavioural, cognitive-behavioural and multimodal. Overall, we found that group-based parenting programmes led to statistically significant short-term improvements in depression (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.28 to -0.07), anxiety (SMD -0.22, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.01), stress (SMD -0.29, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.15), anger (SMD -0.60, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.20), guilt (SMD -0.79, 95% CI -1.18 to -0.41), confidence (SMD -0.34, 95% CI -0.51 to -0.17) and satisfaction with the partner relationship (SMD -0.28, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.09). However, only stress and confidence continued to be statistically significant at six month follow-up, and none were significant at one year. There was no evidence of any effect on self-esteem (SMD -0.01, 95% CI -0.45 to 0.42). None of the trials reported on aggression or adverse effects.The limited data that explicitly focused on outcomes for fathers showed a statistically significant short-term improvement in paternal stress (SMD -0.43, 95% CI -0.79 to -0.06). We were unable to combine data for other outcomes and individual study results were inconclusive in terms of any effect on depressive symptoms, confidence or partner satisfaction. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review support the use of parenting programmes to improve the short-term psychosocial wellbeing of parents. Further input may be required to ensure that these results are maintained. More research is needed that explicitly addresses the benefits for fathers, and that examines the comparative effectiveness of different types of programme along with the mechanisms by which such programmes bring about improvements in parental psychosocial functioning

pyveg: A Python package for analysing the time evolution of patterned vegetation using Google Earth Engine

Periodic vegetation patterns (PVP) arise from the interplay between forces that drive the growth and mortality of plants. Inter-plant competition for resources, in particular water, can lead to the formation of PVP. Arid and semi-arid ecosystems may be under threat due to changing precipitation dynamics driven by macroscopic changes in climate. These regions display some noteable examples of PVP, for example the “tiger bush” patterns found in West Africa. The morphology of the periodic pattern has been suggested to be linked to the resilience of the ecosystem (Mander et al., 2017; Trichon et al., 2018). Using remote sensing techniques, vegetation patterns in these regions can be studied, and an analysis of the resilience of the ecosystem can be performed. The pyveg package implements functionality to download and process data from Google Earth Engine (GEE), and to subsequently perform a resilience analysis on the aquired data. PVP images are quantified using network centrality metrics. The results of the analysis can be used to search for typical early warning signals of an ecological collapse (Dakos et al., 2008). Google Earth Engine Editor scripts are also provided to help researchers discover locations of ecosystems which may be in decline. pyveg is being developed as part of a research project looking for evidence of early warning signals of ecosystem collapse using remote sensing data. pyveg allows such research to be carried out at scale, and hence can be an important tool in understanding changing arid and semi-arid ecosystem dynamics. An evolving list of PVP locations, obtained through both literature and manual searches, is included in the package at pyveg/coordinates.py. The structure of the package is outlined in Figure 1, and is discussed in more detail in the following sections

MAPK Activation Is Essential for Waddlia chondrophila Induced CXCL8 Expression in Human Epithelial Cells

BackgroundWaddlia chondrophila (W. chondrophila) is an emerging agent of respiratory and reproductive disease in humans and cattle. The organism is a member of the order Chlamydiales, and shares many similarities at the genome level and in growth studies with other well-characterised zoonotic chlamydial agents, such as Chlamydia abortus (C. abortus). The current study investigated the growth characteristics and innate immune responses of human and ruminant epithelial cells in response to infection withW. chondrophila.MethodsHuman epithelial cells (HEp2) were infected withW. chondrophila for 24h. CXCL8 release was significantly elevated in each of the cell lines by active-infection with liveW. chondrophila, but not by exposure to UV-killed organisms. Inhibition of either p38 or p42/44 MAPKsignificantly inhibited the stimulation of CXCL8 release in each of the cell lines. To determine the pattern recognition receptor through which CXCL8 release was stimulated, wildtype HEK293 cells which express no TLR2, TLR4, NOD2 and only negligible NOD1 wereinfected with live organisms. A significant increase in CXCL8 was observed. Conclusions/SignificanceW. chondrophila actively infects and replicates within both human and ruminant epithelial cells stimulating CXCL8 release. Release of CXCL8 is significantly inhibited by inhibition of either p38 or p42/44 MAPK indicating a role for this pathway in the innate immune response toW. chondrophila infection.W. chondrophila stimulation of CXCL8 secretion in HEK293 cells indicates that TLR2, TLR4, NOD2 and NOD1 receptors are not essential to the innate immune response to infectio

Quantitatively monitoring the resilience of patterned vegetation in the Sahel

Patterning of vegetation in drylands is a consequence of localized feedback mechanisms. Such feedbacks also determine ecosystem resilience—i.e. the ability to recover from perturbation. Hence, the patterning of vegetation has been hypothesized to be an indicator of resilience, that is, spots are less resilient than labyrinths. Previous studies have made this qualitative link and used models to quantitatively explore it, but few have quantitatively analysed available data to test the hypothesis. Here we provide methods for quantitatively monitoring the resilience of patterned vegetation, applied to 40 sites in the Sahel (a mix of previously identified and new ones). We show that an existing quantification of vegetation patterns in terms of a feature vector metric can effectively distinguish gaps, labyrinths, spots, and a novel category of spot–labyrinths at their maximum extent, whereas NDVI does not. The feature vector pattern metric correlates with mean precipitation. We then explored two approaches to measuring resilience. First we treated the rainy season as a perturbation and examined the subsequent rate of decay of patterns and NDVI as possible measures of resilience. This showed faster decay rates—conventionally interpreted as greater resilience—associated with wetter, more vegetated sites. Second we detrended the seasonal cycle and examined temporal autocorrelation and variance of the residuals as possible measures of resilience. Autocorrelation and variance of our pattern metric increase with declining mean precipitation, consistent with loss of resilience. Thus, drier sites appear less resilient, but we find no significant correlation between the mean or maximum value of the pattern metric (and associated morphological pattern types) and either of our measures of resilience

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)

This project is made possible with funding by the Government of Ontario and through eCampusOntario’s support of the Virtual Learning Strategy.The intention of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL): An Online Post-Secondary Educator Guide for supporting Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) or UDL for IDEA is to curate, develop and deliver UDL resources for technology mediated learning environments in support of access and inclusion in higher education in Ontario. This guide has been a collaborative effort between 10 post-secondary institutions in Ontario from both the University and College sectors committed to the project. Overview The UDL for IDEA Guide is a dynamic and flexible credential designed for post-secondary educators with modules and elements that can be repurposed for use in multiple contexts (e.g., student learning, administration training, etc.). The content models UDL principles, embeds accessibility elements and strives to decolonise the curriculum design and delivery with the goal of meeting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) objectives, as well as Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements. The guide aims to: ● Identify, curate, and where gaps are identified, develop scholarly UDL resources to inform the pedagogical practices of post-secondary educators, to meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and attainment of EDI goals. ● Design and deliver a flexible and adaptable online learning experience that supports the access and inclusion focused needs of all Ontario post-secondary educators. ● Begin the process of changing behaviour and beliefs about accessibility and the purpose and practicalities of using UDL as a design framework in post-secondary education. ● Establish an adaptable pedagogical and technical framework for a microcredential that can be adapted to the local context of individual institutions. Learning Outcomes Post-secondary educators who participate in the entire UDL for IDEA project should be able to: ● LO1 – Define how to apply UDL guidelines in the design, development, and delivery of post-secondary curriculum ● LO2 – Determine the relationship between UDL, AODA, and EDI ● LO3 – Determine their goals and objectives in course design, development and delivery to meet AODA and EDI requirements ● LO4 – Recognise and begin to plan for incorporating Indigenous pedagogies into post-secondary curricula ● LO5 – Plan to implement UDL principles in their pedagogies to meet AODA and EDI goals, within post-secondary learning environment