814 research outputs found
Tracing the impact of proposals from participatory processes: methodological challenges and substantive lessons
Tracing the Impact of Proposals from Participatory Processes: Methodological Challenges and Substantive Lessons
Our understanding of participatory processes is increasing rapidly. However, one area that has received sparse attention is the impact of the proposals from participatory processes on the policy and practice of public administrations. Which proposals are converted into actual policy and practice; which are modified or simply ignored? The field lacks a systematic understanding of the fate of proposals. This paper reflects on the methodological strategy adopted by the Cherry-picking project to analyze the fate of proposals from participatory processes in Spanish municipalities. The innovative project studied the impact of 611 proposals from 39 participatory processes across 25 municipalities. The paper not only describes and discusses the methodological challenges faced by the project, but also presents preliminary findings and a review of the substantive lessons learned through the design and fieldwork process
The X-ray lightcurve of Sgr A* over the past 150 years inferred from Fe-Ka line reverberation in Galactic Centre molecular clouds
We examine the temporal and spectral properties of nine Fe-Ka bright
molecular clouds within about 30 pc of Sgr A*, in order to understand and
constrain the primary energising source of the Fe fluorescence. Significant
Fe-Ka variability was detected, with a spatial and temporal pattern consistent
with that reported in previous studies. The main breakthrough that sets our
paper apart from earlier contributions on this topic is the direct measurement
of the column density and the Fe abundance of the MCs in our sample. We used
the EW measurements to infer the average Fe abundance within the clouds to be
1.60.1 times solar. The cloud column densities derived from the spectral
analysis were typically of the order of 10 cm, which is
significantly higher than previous estimates. This in turn has a significant
impact on the inferred geometry and time delays within the cloud system. Past
X-ray activity of Sgr A* is the most likely source of ionisation within the
molecular clouds in the innermost 30 pc of the Galaxy. In this scenario, the
X-ray luminosity required to excite these reflection nebulae is of the order of
10 erg s, significantly lower than that estimated for the
Sgr B2 molecular cloud. Moreover, the inferred Sgr A* lightcurve over the past
150 years shows a long-term downwards trend punctuated by occasional
counter-trend brightening episodes of at least 5 years duration. Finally, we
found that contributions to the Fe fluorescence by X-ray transient binaries and
cosmic-ray bombardment are very likely, and suggest possible ways to study this
latter phenomenon in the near future.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
The function of the alula in avian flight
The alula is a small structure located at the joint between the hand-wing and arm-wing of birds and is known to be used in slow flight with high angles of attack such as landing. It is assumed to function similarly to a leading-edge slat that increases lift and delays stall. However, in spite of its universal presence in flying birds and the wide acceptance of stall delay as its main function, how the alula delays the stall and aids the flight of birds remains unclear. Here, we investigated the function of alula on the aerodynamic performance of avian wings based on data from flight tasks and wind-tunnel experiments. With the alula, the birds performed steeper descending flights with greater changes in body orientation. Force measurements revealed that the alula increases the lift and often delays the stall. Digital particle image velocimetry showed that these effects are caused by the streamwise vortex, formed at the tip of the alula, that induces strong downwash and suppresses the flow separation over the wing surface. This is the first experimental evidence that the alula functions as a vortex generator that increases the lift force and enhances manoeuvrability in flights at high angles of attack.open1
Sex differences in overall and cause-specific mortality among HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy in Europe, Canada and the US
Botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of the upper limb spasticity after stroke: a meta-analysis
Diversity in olfactory bulb size in birds reflects allometry, ecology, and phylogeny
The relative size of olfactory bulbs (OBs) is correlated with olfactory capabilities across
vertebrates and is widely used to assess the relative importance of olfaction to a
species’ ecology. In birds, variations in the relative size of OBs are correlated with some
behaviors; however, the factors that have led to the high level of diversity seen in OB
sizes across birds are still not well understood. In this study, we use the relative size
of OBs as a neuroanatomical proxy for olfactory capabilities in 135 species of birds,
representing 21 orders. We examine the scaling of OBs with brain size across avian
orders, determine likely ancestral states and test for correlations between OB sizes
and habitat, ecology, and behavior. The size of avian OBs varied with the size of the
brain and this allometric relationship was for the most part isometric, although species
did deviate from this trend. Large OBs were characteristic of more basal species and
in more recently derived species the OBs were small. Living and foraging in a semiaquatic
environment was the strongest variable driving the evolution of large OBs in
birds; olfaction may provide cues for navigation and foraging in this otherwise featureless
environment. Some of the diversity in OB sizes was also undoubtedly due to differences
in migratory behavior, foraging strategies and social structure. In summary, relative
OB size in birds reflect allometry, phylogeny and behavior in ways that parallel that
of other vertebrate classes. This provides comparative evidence that supports recent
experimental studies into avian olfaction and suggests that olfaction is an important
sensory modality for all avian species
Study of DJ meson decays to D+π−, D0π+ and D∗+π− final states in pp collisions
A study of D+π−, D0π+ and D∗+π− final states is performed using pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the LHCb detector. The D1(2420)0 resonance is observed in the D∗+π− final state and the D∗2(2460) resonance is observed in the D+π−, D0π+ and D∗+π− final states. For both resonances, their properties and spin-parity assignments are obtained. In addition, two natural parity and two unnatural parity resonances are observed in the mass region between 2500 and 2800 MeV. Further structures in the region around 3000 MeV are observed in all the D∗+π−, D+π− and D0π+ final states
Study of B0(s)→K0Sh+h′− decays with first observation of B0s→K0SK±π∓ and B0s→K0Sπ+π−
A search for charmless three-body decays of B 0 and B0s mesons with a K0S meson in the final state is performed using the pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded by the LHCb experiment. Branching fractions of the B0(s)→K0Sh+h′− decay modes (h (′) = π, K), relative to the well measured B0→K0Sπ+π− decay, are obtained. First observation of the decay modes B0s→K0SK±π∓ and B0s→K0Sπ+π− and confirmation of the decay B0→K0SK±π∓ are reported. The following relative branching fraction measurements or limits are obtained B(B0→K0SK±π∓)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.128±0.017(stat.)±0.009(syst.), B(B0→K0SK+K−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.385±0.031(stat.)±0.023(syst.), B(B0s→K0Sπ+π−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.29±0.06(stat.)±0.03(syst.)±0.02(fs/fd), B(B0s→K0SK±π∓)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=1.48±0.12(stat.)±0.08(syst.)±0.12(fs/fd)B(B0s→K0SK+K−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)∈[0.004;0.068]at90%CL
First observation of the decay and a measurement of the ratio of branching fractions
The first observation of the decay using
data collected by the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV,
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb, is reported. A
signal of events is obtained and the absence of signal is
rejected with a statistical significance of more than nine standard deviations.
The branching fraction is measured relative to
that of : , where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and
the third is due to the uncertainty on the ratio of the and
hadronisation fractions.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett. B; ISSN 0370-269
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