On the exposure to mobile phone radiation in trains

This report presents theoretical estimates of the Power Density levels which may be reached inside trains. Two possible sources of high levels of radiation are discussed. The first one arises since the walls of the wagons are metallic and therefore bounce back almost all radiation impinging on them. The second is due to the simultaneous emission of a seemingly large number of nearby telephones. The theoretical study presented here shows that Power Densities stay at values below reference levels always.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Participation in Biocultural Diversity Conservation: Insights from Five Amazonian Examples

The past three decades have seen the emergence of myriads of initiatives focused on conserving, revitalizing, and maintaining Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) as part of biocultural approaches to conservation. However, the extent to which these efforts have been participatory has been often overlooked. In this chapter, we focus on five prominent ILK conservation initiatives in the Amazon Basin to examine the participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in ILK conservation. Our review illustrates several examples of ILK conservation initiatives offering substantial opportunities for meaningful IPLC participation over the long term. Overall, our case studies suggest that the development of robust and inclusive decision-making processes is essential to optimize IPLC participation in ILK conservation, thereby increasing the legitimacy of these initiatives. Our review is not an exhaustive account of the breadth and depth of all initiatives promoting participatory biocultural conservation in this region, but it illustrates that there are many strategies that can help foster IPLC engagement and lead the participatory turn in biocultural conservation.Peer reviewe

The KINDRA project – towards Open Science in Hydrogeology for higher impact

Groundwater knowledge and research in the European Union is often scattered and non-standardised. Therefore, KINDRA is conducting an EU-wide assessment of existing groundwater-related practical and scientific knowledge based on a new Hydrogeological Research Classification System (HRC-SYS). The classification is supported by a web service, the European Inventory of Groundwater Research (EIGR), which acts not only as a knowledge repository but also as a tool to help identify relevant research topics, existing research trends and critical research challenges. These results will be useful for producing synergies, implementing policies and optimising water management in Europe. This article presents the work of the project during the first two years in relation to a common classification system and an activity for data collection and training delivered by the EFG’s National Associations in 20 European countries

Association of birth weight and the development of antipsychotic induced adiposity in individuals with treatment resistant schizophrenia.

Though weight gain is a common side effect of antipsychotic treatment, there are no useful predictors of which patients are likely to be affected and to what degree. It has been shown that exposure to adverse conditions during intra-uterine life confers a vulnerability to the development of later life metabolic complications and low birth weight for gestational age has been shown to be a robust marker of such prenatal adversity. We hypothesised that patients with schizophrenia with a lower birth weight will have increased vulnerability to the weight inducing effects of antipsychotic treatment. The relationship between birth weight and total and central adiposity, measured as body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) respectively, was examined in three groups: drug naïve first episode of psychosis (FEP) patients (n=41), treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) patients (n=42) and matched healthy volunteers (n=72). All analyses were controlled for age, gender and duration of treatment exposure. We found that a lower birth weight was associated with higher BMI and WHR only in TRS patients but not in FEP or controls, suggesting that prenatal adversity, as indicated by the surrogate marker of a lower birth weight, confers an increased vulnerability to clozapine induced weight gain.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.03.00

An Accurate Data Preparation Approach for the Prediction of Mortality in ACLF Patients using the CANONIC Dataset

The incidence of chronic liver disease has increased in Europe and can lead to Acute on Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) which is associated with high levels of mortality due to multisystem organ failure. The characteristics of the ACLF patients can change very rapidly within a short period of time. Continuous assessment of their recovery status is critical for clinicians to adjust and deliver effective treatment. The aim of this paper is to validate the usefulness of a data preparation approach by combining different criteria to replace missing values, balance target-class variables, select useful patient characteristics and optimise hyperparameters of machine learning models for the prediction of ACLF associated mortality rates. A key step in the data preparation is a feature selection Mutual Information (MI) based multivariate approach to build smaller, and yet equally and in some cases more informative, subsets of patient characteristics than those frequently proposed for the prediction of mortality, from patients with ACLF in the CANONIC dataset. The usefulness of the data preparation approach proposed to predict mortality was evaluated by training the XGBoost and Logistic Regression models with the prepared data. Evaluations of the models trained using a test set provided evidence of an overall high accuracy in the prediction of the mortality rates of patients for days after their diagnosis, and in some cases even higher when reduced and more informative subsets of patient characteristics were found

Beam Mode Expansion of Corrugated Conical Horns with Phase Correcting Lens: Application to Radioastronomy Receivers

A classical radioastronomy receiver is fed with a corrugated horn and an independent lens, both placed in a cryostat to lower the noise temperature. The beam is focused and directed using a combination of elliptical and plane mirrors. This paper proposes modifying the initial feeding system by placing the lens onto the horn aperture, thereby allowing a size reduction of the horn and lens, and a simplification of their mechanical design. The profiled lens is shaped to correct the phase error on the horn aperture. A quasi-optical model of the horn-plus-lens system has been developed using a Beam Mode Expansion (BME). Results using both a hyperbolic-planar lens and a spherical-elliptical lens, as well as results obtained by using Geometrical Optics (GO) with a Kirchoff–Huygens integration to get the far-field pattern, have been compared with measurements. As a direct application, a full focusing system for the new 40-m radiotelescope at the “Centro Astron´omico de Yebes” is presented for the 22, 30 and 45 GHz bands. This paper has developed a QO model for a corrugated conical horn with a phase-correcting lens

Beam Mode Expansion of Corrugated Conical Horns with Phase Correcting Lens: Application to Radioastronomy Receivers

A classical radioastronomy receiver is fed with a corrugated horn and an independent lens, both placed in a cryostat to lower the noise temperature. The beam is focused and directed using a combination of elliptical and plane mirrors. This paper proposes modifying the initial feeding system by placing the lens onto the horn aperture, thereby allowing a size reduction of the horn and lens, and a simplification of their mechanical design. The profiled lens is shaped to correct the phase error on the horn aperture. A quasi-optical model of the horn-plus-lens system has been developed using a Beam Mode Expansion (BME). Results using both a hyperbolic-planar lens and a spherical-elliptical lens, as well as results obtained by using Geometrical Optics (GO) with a Kirchoff–Huygens integration to get the far-field pattern, have been compared with measurements. As a direct application, a full focusing system for the new 40-m radiotelescope at the “Centro Astron´omico de Yebes” is presented for the 22, 30 and 45 GHz bands. This paper has developed a QO model for a corrugated conical horn with a phase-correcting lens

Overall evaluation of Skylab imagery for mapping of Latin America

The author has identified the following significant results. Skylab imagery is both desired and needed by the Latin American catographic agencies. The imagery is cost beneficial for the production of new mapping and maintenance of existing maps at national topographic series scales. If this information was available on a near time routine coverage basis, it would provide an excellent additional data base to the Latin American cartographic community, specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Venezuela

Multitasking Compensatory Saccadic Training Program for Hemianopia Patients: A New Approach With 3-Dimensional Real-World Objects

Producción CientíficaPurpose: To examinewhether a noncomputerized multitasking compensatory saccadic training program (MCSTP) for patients with hemianopia, based on a reading regimen and eight exercises that recreate everyday visuomotor activities using threedimensional (3D) real-world objects, improves the visual ability/function, quality of life (QL), and functional independence (FI). Methods: The 3D-MCSTP included four in-office visits and two customized homebased daily training sessions over 12weeks. A quasiexperimental, pretest/posttest study designwas carried out with an intervention group (IG) (n = 20) and a no-training group (NTG) (n = 20) matched for age, hemianopia type, and brain injury duration. Results: The groups were comparable for the main baseline variables and all participants (n = 40) completed the study. The IGmainly showed significant improvements in visual-processing speed (57.34% ± 19.28%; P < 0.0001) and visual attention/retention ability (26.67% ± 19.21%; P < 0.0001), which also were significantly greater (P < 0.05) than in the NTG. Moreover, the IG showed large effect sizes (Cohen’s d) in 75% of the totalQL and FI dimensions analyzed; in contrast to the NTGthat showed negligiblemean effect sizes in 96% of these dimensions. Conclusions: The customized 3D-MCSTP was associated with a satisfactory response in the IG for improving complex visual processing, QL, and FI. Translational Relevance: Neurovisual rehabilitation of patientswith hemianopia seems more efficient when programs combine in-office visits and customized home-based training sessions based on real objects and simulating real-life conditions, than no treatment or previously reported computer-screen approaches, probably because of better stimulation of patients´ motivation and visual-processing speed brain mechanisms