New Records of Vascular Plants in the Yukon Territory VII

Based on field reconnaissance mainly in 2003 in Kluane National Park but also many other areas throughout the Yukon, information is provided on geographically significant plant occurrences. Thirteen native taxa, Agrostis humilis, Blysmopsis rufa, Carex bebbii, C. lenticularis var. dolia, C. nigricans, C. sartwellii, C. siccata, Diphasiastrum sitchense, Najas flexilis, Oxytropis arctica var. arctica, Oxytropis arctica var. murrayi, Saxifraga nelsoniana ssp. carlottae and Swertia perennis and two introduced taxa, Bromus japonicus and Leymus mollis ssp. mollis s.l. are reported new to the flora of the Yukon Territory. Significant range extensions for 109 native and eight introduced taxa are included and three species, Clematis occidentalis, Polygonum persicaria, and Verbena hastata are deleted from the flora

Model Configuration And Data Management In The Short-Term Water Information Forecasting Tools

The Short-term Water Information and Forecasting Tools (SWIFT) is a suite of tools for flood and short-term streamflow forecasting, consisting of a collection of hydrologic model components and utilities. Catchments are modeled using conceptual subareas and a node-link structure for channel routing. The tools comprise modules for calibration, model state updating, output error correction, ensemble runs and data assimilation. Given the combinatorial nature of the modelling experiments and the sub-daily time steps typically used for simulations, the volume of model configurations and time series data is substantial and its management is not trivial. SWIFT is currently used mostly for research purposes but has also been used operationally, with intersecting but significantly different requirements. Early versions of SWIFT used mostly ad-hoc text files handled via Fortran code, with limited use of netCDF for time series data. The configuration and data handling modules have since been redesigned. The model configuration now follows a design where the data model is decoupled from the on-disk persistence mechanism. For research purposes the preferred on-disk format is JSON, to leverage numerous software libraries in a variety of languages, while retaining the legacy option of custom tab-separated text formats when it is a preferred access arrangement for the researcher. By decoupling data model and data persistence, it is much easier to interchangeably use for instance relational databases to provide stricter provenance and audit trail capabilities in an operational flood forecasting context. For the time series data, given the volume and required throughput, text based formats are usually inadequate. A schema derived from CF conventions has been designed to efficiently handle time series for SWIFT

New Records of Vascular Plants in the Yukon Territory VI

Based on field reconnaissance mainly in 2002 in the southern part of the Yukon and particularly in and adjacent to Kluane National Park, information is provided on geographically significant plant occurrences. Six native taxa, Atriplex alaskensis, Claytonia megarrhiza, Corispermum ochotense var. alaskanum, Oxytropis arctica, Polemonium acutiflorum forma lacteum and Polemonium boreale forma albiflorum, and four introduced taxa. Arabis caucasica, Camelina sativa, Senecio eremophilus, and Setaria viridis are reported new to the known flora of the Yukon Territory. Significant range extensions for 158 native and 21 introduced taxa are included. Parrya arctica, Armoracia rusticana, Atriplex patula and Papaver nudicaule ssp. nudicaule are excluded from the Yukon flora

Profaning GAMA: Exploring the Entanglement of Demilitarization, Heritage and Real Estate in the Ruins of Greenham Common’s Cruise Missile Complex

This article investigates the post-Cold War fate of GAMA, the iconic hardened bunkers complex constructed at RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire, UK in the early 1980s to house newly deployed US nuclear tipped ground launched cruise missiles as part of the Euromissiles crisis. GAMA was then the focal point of international anti-nuclear protest, led by the women peace campaigners who camped just beyond its fences. The article investigates why, despite this prominence and the contemporary inclination towards heritagization, the site has not become a Cold War memorial or tourist attraction. The site’s limbo state is found to be a product of the entanglement of the competing cultural drivers of demilitarization, ruination, heritagization and/or re-utilization. The study concludes (by applying Agamben’s advocacy of profanation) that this limbo may be a fitting denial of the re-sacralization that this site might otherwise have faced, whether as a museum or a fully redeveloped commercial facility

Quantifying high-speed running in rugby league: An insight into practitioner applications and perceptions

High-speed running has previously been documented as a popular metric among rugby league researchers. Researchers place importance on high-speed running due to its inclusion in assessing the demands of training and match-play to help prescribe accurate training loads and recovery methods. However, there is currently no information available as to how important rugby league practitioners perceive high-speed running to be and what methods are currently used by practitioners to quantify high-speed running. Furthermore, practitioners’ perceptions of specific benefits, barriers and motivations when selecting high-speed running methods are also currently limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide a current insight into the practice and perceptions of rugby league practitioners when quantifying high-speed running. This study surveyed practitioners working in the European Super League (n = 12) and the Australasian National Rugby League (n = 11). Ranking analysis established high-speed running to be the most important metric for both training practice and match-play. Absolute high-speed running thresholds were applied by 52% of respondents (n = 12) with the most common being 5.5 m·s−1 (n = 9). Individualised high-speed running thresholds were applied by 48% of respondents (n = 11) with the most common approach implementing peak sprint speed methods (n = 9). Absolute high-speed running thresholds are perceived to permit better group data comparison, whereas individualised methods are perceived to permit better interpretation of high-speed running data. Ultimately, practitioners are motivated to implement their chosen methods with the possibility of more accurately prescribed high-speed running thresholds, although the impracticality of specific testing procedures may act as a barrier

A model to predict disease progression in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD): the ADPKD Outcomes Model.

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the leading inheritable cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD); however, the natural course of disease progression is heterogeneous between patients. This study aimed to develop a natural history model of ADPKD that predicted progression rates and long-term outcomes in patients with differing baseline characteristics. Methods: The ADPKD Outcomes Model (ADPKD-OM) was developed using available patient-level data from the placebo arm of the Tolvaptan Efficacy and Safety in Management of ADPKD and its Outcomes Study (TEMPO 3:4; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00428948). Multivariable regression equations estimating annual rates of ADPKD progression, in terms of total kidney volume (TKV) and estimated glomerular filtration rate, formed the basis of the lifetime patient-level simulation model. Outputs of the ADPKD-OM were compared against external data sources to validate model accuracy and generalisability to other ADPKD patient populations, then used to predict long-term outcomes in a cohort matched to the overall TEMPO 3:4 study population. Results: A cohort with baseline patient characteristics consistent with TEMPO 3:4 was predicted to reach ESRD at a mean age of 52 years. Most patients (85%) were predicted to reach ESRD by the age of 65 years, with many progressing to ESRD earlier in life (18, 36 and 56% by the age of 45, 50 and 55 years, respectively). Consistent with previous research and clinical opinion, analyses supported the selection of baseline TKV as a prognostic factor for ADPKD progression, and demonstrated its value as a strong predictor of future ESRD risk. Validation exercises and illustrative analyses confirmed the ability of the ADPKD-OM to accurately predict disease progression towards ESRD across a range of clinically-relevant patient profiles. Conclusions: The ADPKD-OM represents a robust tool to predict natural disease progression and long-term outcomes in ADPKD patients, based on readily available and/or measurable clinical characteristics. In conjunction with clinical judgement, it has the potential to support decision-making in research and clinical practice

Laser spectroscopy of NV- and NV0 colour centres in synthetic diamond

In this paper, we analyse the prospects for using nitrogen-vacancy centre (NV) containing diamond as a laser gain material by measuring its key laser related parameters. Synthetic chemical vapour deposition grown diamond samples with an NV concentration of ~1 ppm have been selected because of their relatively high NV concentration and low background absorption in comparison to other samples available to us. For the samples measured, the luminescence lifetimes of the NV- and NV0 centres were measured to be 8±1 ns and 20±1 ns respectively. The respective peak stimulated emission cross-sections were (3.6±0.1)×10-17 cm2 and (1.7±0.1)×10-17 cm2. These measurements were combined with absorption measurements to calculate the gain spectra for NV- and NV0 for differing inversion levels. Such calculations indicate that gains approaching those required for laser operation may be possible with one of the samples tested and for the NV- centre

Article Gender Politics and Secure Services For Women: Reflections on a study of staff understandings of challenging behaviour

Abstract This paper discusses the findings of a Q-methodological study that investigated the complexity of professional understandings of (attitudes towards) residents in a secure unit for women with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. Particular attention is afforded to the critical debate regarding women in psychiatric and secure care, including the significant contribution made to this literature by feminist perspectives. A multi-professional group of staf