5,146 research outputs found
Public policy (not the coronavirus) should shape what endemic means
Endemicity is not only a biological and health event but has several inter-dependencies cross-cutting with the management of the economy, including governance and policies. Within the context of the discourse on inequity, what does endemicity mean for poor and low-income families, where policies on social inclusion and social welfare need to be re-calibrated
Overview of Saturn lightning observations
The lightning activity in Saturn's atmosphere has been monitored by Cassini
for more than six years. The continuous observations of the radio signatures
called SEDs (Saturn Electrostatic Discharges) combine favorably with imaging
observations of related cloud features as well as direct observations of
flash-illuminated cloud tops. The Cassini RPWS (Radio and Plasma Wave Science)
instrument and ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) in orbit around Saturn also
received ground-based support: The intense SED radio waves were also detected
by the giant UTR-2 radio telescope, and committed amateurs observed SED-related
white spots with their backyard optical telescopes. Furthermore, the Cassini
VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) and CIRS (Composite Infrared
Spectrometer) instruments have provided some information on chemical
constituents possibly created by the lightning discharges and transported
upward to Saturn's upper atmosphere by vertical convection. In this paper we
summarize the main results on Saturn lightning provided by this
multi-instrumental approach and compare Saturn lightning to lightning on
Jupiter and Earth.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables; Proc. PRE VII conference Graz Sept.
201
Composition and distribution of the peracarid crustacean fauna along a latitudinal transect off Victoria Land (Ross Sea, Antarctica) with special emphasis on the Cumacea
The following study was the first to describe composition and structure of the peracarid fauna systematically along a latitudinal transect off Victoria Land (Ross Sea, Antarctica). During the 19th Antarctic expedition of the Italian research vessel “Italica” in February 2004, macrobenthic samples were collected by means of a Rauschert dredge with a mesh size of 500 m at depths between 85 and 515 m. The composition of peracarid crustaceans, especially Cumacea was investigated. Peracarida contributed 63% to the total abundance of the fauna. The peracarid samples were dominated by amphipods (66%), whereas cumaceans were represented with 7%. Previously, only 13 cumacean species were known, now the number of species recorded from the Ross Sea increased to 34. Thus, the cumacean fauna of the Ross Sea, which was regarded as the poorest in terms of species richness, has to be considered as equivalent to that of other high Antarctic areas. Most important cumacean families concerning abundance and species richness were Leuconidae, Nannastacidae, and Diastylidae. Cumacean diversity was lowest at the northernmost area (Cape Adare). At the area off Coulman Island, which is characterized by muddy sediment, diversity was highest. Diversity and species number were higher at the deeper stations and abundance increased with latitude. A review of the bathymetric distribution of the Cumacea from the Ross Sea reveals that most species distribute across the Antarctic continental shelf and slope. So far, only few deep-sea records justify the assumption of a shallow-water–deep-sea relationship in some species of Ross Sea Cumacea, which is discussed from an evolutionary point of view
Evidence for CP Violation in B0 -> D+D- Decays
We report measurements of the branching fraction and CP violation parameters
in B0 -> D+D- decays. The results are based on a data sample that contains 535
x 10^6 BBbar pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance, with the Belle
detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. We obtain [1.97 +- 0.20
(stat) +- 0.20 (syst)] x 10^(-4) for the branching fraction of B0 -> D+D-. The
measured values of the CP violation parameters are: S = -1.13 +- 0.37 +- 0.09,
A = 0.91 +- 0.23 +- 0.06, where the first error is statistical and the second
is systematic. We find evidence of CP violation in B0 -> D+D- at the 4.1 sigma
confidence level. While the value of S is consistent with expectations from
other measurements, the value of the parameter A favors large direct CP
violation at the 3.2 sigma confidence level, in contradiction to Standard Model
expectations.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR
Spatiotemporal mortality and demographic trends in a small cetacean: Strandings to inform conservation management
With global increases in anthropogenic pressures on wildlife populations comes a responsibility to manage them effectively. The assessment of marine ecosystem health is challenging and often relies on monitoring indicator species, such as cetaceans. Most cetaceans are however highly mobile and spend the majority of their time hidden from direct view, resulting in uncertainty on even the most basic population metrics. Here, we discuss the value of long-term and internationally combined stranding records as a valuable source of information on the demographic and mortality trends of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea. We analysed stranding records (n = 16,181) from 1990 to 2017 and demonstrate a strong heterogeneous seasonal pattern of strandings throughout the North Sea, indicative of season-specific distribution or habitat use, and season-specific mortality. The annual incidence of strandings has increased since 1990, with a notable steeper rise particularly in the southern North Sea since 2005. A high density of neonatal strandings occurred specifically in the eastern North Sea, indicative of areas important for calving, and large numbers of juvenile males stranded in the southern parts, indicative of a population sink or reflecting higher male dispersion. These findings highlight the power of stranding records to detect potentially vulnerable population groups in time and space. This knowledge is vital for managers and can guide, for example, conservation measures such as the establishment of time-area-specific limits to potentially harmful human activities, aiming to reduce the number and intensity of human-wildlife conflicts
Search for the h_c meson in B^+- ->h_c K^+-
We report a search for the meson via the decay chain , \etac \gamma with and
. No significant signals are observed. We obtain upper limits on the
branching fractions for in bins of the
invariant mass. The results are based on an analysis of 253
fb of data collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB
collider.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Performance of an implantable automatic atrial fibrillation detection device: impact of software adjustments and relevance of manual episode analysis
Pressure Dependence of Born Effective Charges, Dielectric Constant and Lattice Dynamics in SiC
The pressure dependence of the Born effective charge, dielectric constant and
zone-center LO and TO phonons have been determined for -SiC by a linear
response method based on the linearized augmented plane wave calculations
within the local density approximation. The Born effective charges are found to
increase nearly linearly with decreasing volume down to the smallest volume
studied, , corresponding to a pressure of about 0.8 Mbar. This
seems to be in contradiction with the conclusion of the turnover behavior
recently reported by Liu and Vohra [Phys.\ Rev.\ Lett.\ {\bf 72}, 4105 (1994)]
for -SiC. Reanalyzing their procedure to extract the pressure dependence of
the Born effective charges, we suggest that the turnover behavior they obtained
is due to approximations in the assumed pressure dependence of the dielectric
constant , the use of a singular set of experimental data
for the equation of state, and the uncertainty in measured phonon frequencies,
especially at high pressure.Comment: 25 pages, revtex, 5 postscript figures appended, to be published in
Phys. Rev.
The emergence of international food safety standards and guidelines: understanding the current landscape through a historical approach
Following the Second World War, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) teamed up to construct an International Codex Alimentarius (or 'food code') which emerged in 1963. The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) was charged with the task of developing microbial hygiene standards, although it found itself embroiled in debate with the WHO over the nature these standards should take. The WHO was increasingly relying upon the input of biometricians and especially the International Commission on Microbial Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) which had developed statistical sampling plans for determining the microbial counts in the final end products. The CCFH, however, was initially more focused on a qualitative approach which looked at the entire food production system and developed codes of practice as well as more descriptive end-product specifications which the WHO argued were 'not scientifically correct'. Drawing upon historical archival material (correspondence and reports) from the WHO and FAO, this article examines this debate over microbial hygiene standards and suggests that there are many lessons from history which could shed light upon current debates and efforts in international food safety management systems and approaches
The effects of quercetin on SW480 human colon carcinoma cells: a proteomic study
BACKGROUND: High fruit and vegetable intake is known to reduce the risk of colon cancer. To improve understanding of this phenomenon the action of different phytochemicals on colon cells has been examined. One such compound is quercetin that belongs to the group known as flavonoids. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of quercetin on the proteome of the SW480 human colon adenocarcinoma cell line, specifically to identify proteins that could be the molecular targets of quercetin in its amelioration of the progression of colon cancer. To this end, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to identify proteins that underwent a change in expression following treatment of the cells with 20 μM quercetin. This could elucidate how quercetin may reduce the progression of colon cancer. RESULTS: Quercetin treatment of the SW480 human colon cancer cells was found to result in the decreased expression of three proteins and the increased expression of one protein. The identified proteins with decreased expression were type II cytoskeletal 8 keratin and NADH dehydrogenase Fe-S protein 3. The other protein with decreased expression was not identified. The protein with increased expression belonged to the annexin family. CONCLUSION: Several proteins were determined to have altered expression following treatment with quercetin. Such changes in the levels of these particular proteins could underlie the chemo-protective action of quercetin towards colon cancer
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