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Integrating Green Infrastructure Into Stormwater Policy: Reliability, Watershed Management, and Environmental Psychology as Holistic Tools for Success
As cities continue to expand, the issues of flood control and urban water quality have become major modern sustainability challenges. Green infrastructure—the use of nature-based solutions to target, treat, and store stormwater at its source—has emerged as a possible solution. While green infrastructure does offer multiple benefits for urban users, its performance is also highly variable. This Article addresses a key gap in existing literature by explicitly addressing how uncertainty in environmental and anthropogenic factors affects green infrastructure performance and integration within the Clean Water Act’s municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) regulatory program
The Quantum McKay Correspondence for polyhedral singularities
Let G be a polyhedral group, namely a finite subgroup of SO(3). Nakamura's
G-Hilbert scheme provides a preferred Calabi-Yau resolution Y of the polyhedral
singularity C^3/G. The classical McKay correspondence describes the classical
geometry of Y in terms of the representation theory of G. In this paper we
describe the quantum geometry of Y in terms of R, an ADE root system associated
to G. Namely, we give an explicit formula for the Gromov-Witten partition
function of Y as a product over the positive roots of R. In terms of counts of
BPS states (Gopakumar-Vafa invariants), our result can be stated as a
correspondence: each positive root of R corresponds to one half of a genus zero
BPS state. As an application, we use the crepant resolution conjecture to
provide a full prediction for the orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants of [C^3/G].Comment: Introduction rewritten. Issue regarding non-uniqueness of conifold
resolution clarified. Version to appear in Inventione
Non-equilibrium dynamic critical scaling of the quantum Ising chain
We solve for the time-dependent finite-size scaling functions of the 1D
transverse-field Ising chain during a linear-in-time ramp of the field through
the quantum critical point. We then simulate Mott-insulating bosons in a tilted
potential, an experimentally-studied system in the same equilibrium
universality class, and demonstrate that universality holds for the dynamics as
well. We find qualitatively athermal features of the scaling functions, such as
negative spin correlations, and show that they should be robustly observable
within present cold atom experiments.Comment: 4 pages + 2 page supplemen
Progression from ocular hypertension to visual field loss in the English hospital eye service
Background There are more than one million National Health Service visits in England and Wales each year for patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT). With the ageing population and an increase in optometric testing, the economic burden of glaucoma-related visits is predicted to increase. We examined the conversion rates of OHT to primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in England and assessed factors associated with risk of conversion.
Methods Electronic medical records of 45 309 patients from five regionally different glaucoma clinics in England were retrospectively examined. Conversion to POAG from OHT was defined by deterioration in visual field (two consecutive tests classified as stage 1 or worse as per the glaucoma staging system 2). Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine factors (age, sex, treatment status and baseline intraocular pressure (IOP)) associated with conversion.
Results The cumulative risk of conversion to POAG was 17.5% (95% CI 15.4% to 19.6%) at 5 years. Older age (HR 1.35 per decade, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.50, p<0.001) was associated with a higher risk of conversion. IOP-lowering therapy (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.57, p<0.001) was associated with a lower risk of conversion. Predicted 5-year conversion rates for treated and untreated groups were 14.0% and 26.9%, respectively.
Conclusion Less than one-fifth of OHT patients managed in glaucoma clinics in the UK converted to POAG over a 5-year period, suggesting many patients may require less intensive follow-up. Our study provides real-world evidence for the efficacy of current management (including IOP-lowering treatment) at reducing risk of conversion
Impact of Changes in U.S. Grain Standards on Discounts for Insects in Stored Grain
The Federal Grain Inspection Service changed U.S. grain standards in 1988. Insect discounts given at country elevators and at terminal elevators were analyzed to determine impacts of the new standards. Insect discounts influence grain quality by affecting insect control decisions by producers and country elevator managers.Grain Inspection, Insect Discounts, Wheat, Farm Storage, Elevator Storage, Crop Production/Industries,
Targets and self monitoring in hypertension: randomised controlled trial and cost effectiveness analysis
Objectives: To assess whether blood pressure control in primary care could be improved with the use of patient held targets and self monitoring in a practice setting, and to assess the impact of these on health behaviours, anxiety, prescribed antihypertensive drugs, patients’ preferences, and costs. \ud
Design: Randomised controlled trial. \ud
Setting: Eight general practices in south Birmingham. \ud
Participants: 441 people receiving treatment in primary care for hypertension but not controlled below the target of < 140/85 mm Hg. \ud
Interventions: Patients in the intervention group received treatment targets along with facilities to measure their own blood pressure at their general practice; they were also asked to visit their general practitioner or practice nurse if their blood pressure was repeatedly above the target level. Patients in the control group received usual care (blood pressure monitoring by their practice). \ud
Main outcome measures: Primary outcome: change in systolic blood pressure at six months and one year in both intervention and control groups. Secondary outcomes: change in health behaviours, anxiety, prescribed antihypertensive drugs, patients’ preferences of method of blood pressure monitoring, and costs. \ud
Results: 400 (91%) patients attended follow up at one year. Systolic blood pressure in the intervention group had significantly reduced after six months (mean difference 4.3 mm Hg (95% confidence interval 0.8 mm Hg to 7.9 mm Hg)) but not after one year (mean difference 2.7 mm Hg (-ï€ 1.2 mm Hg to 6.6 mm Hg)). No overall difference was found in diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, health behaviours, or number of prescribed drugs. Patients who self monitored lost more weight than controls (as evidenced by a drop in body mass index), rated self monitoring above monitoring by a doctor or nurse, and consulted less often. Overall, self monitoring did not cost significantly more than usual care (£251 ($437; 364 euros) (95% confidence interval £233 to £275) versus £240 (£217 to £263). \ud
Conclusions: Practice based self monitoring resulted in small but significant improvements of blood pressure at six months, which were not sustained after a year. Self monitoring was well received by patients, anxiety did not increase, and there was no appreciable additional cost. Practice based self monitoring is feasible and results in blood pressure control that is similar to that in usual care. \u
Managing sleep and wakefulness in a 24 hour world
This article contributes to literature on the sociology of sleep by exploring the sleeping practices and subjective sleep experiences of two social groups: shift workers and students. It draws on data, collected in the UK from 25 semi-structured interviews, to discuss the complex ways in which working patterns and social activities impact upon experiences and expectations of sleep in our wired awake world. The data show that, typically, sleep is valued and considered to be important for health, general wellbeing, appearance and physical and cognitive functioning. However, sleep time is often cut back on in favour of work demands and social activities. While shift workers described their efforts to fit in an adequate amount of sleep per 24-hour period, for students, the adoption of a flexible sleep routine was thought to be favourable for maintaining a work–social life balance. Collectively, respondents reported using a wide range of strategies, techniques, technologies and practices to encourage, overcome or delay sleep(iness) and boost, promote or enhance wakefulness/alertness at socially desirable times. The analysis demonstrates how social context impacts not only on how we come to think about sleep and understand it, but also how we manage or self-regulate our sleeping patterns
Blood Glucose Levels and High Intensity Exercise with Respect to Meal Timing
The research conducted was about monitoring blood glucose levels with exercise with respect to meal timing. It has been hypothesized that with short bouts of high intensity exercise, one can raise their blood glucose levels because in acute response to high intensity exercise. Previous research has shown that with long bouts of exercise while fasting you can lower blood glucose levels. This study is testing the meal timing from fasting to right before the exercise and also eating one and two hours before combined with a 50 minute moderate to high intensity workout, keeping the heart rate in zones 3- 5, which is around 70%-100% Of their VO2 Max, which was tested by using An H7 sensor. The research population ranged from male to female, and ages from 19-39 year old college students. The test is administered before the workout and after the workout. There is hope that with enough data we can support that an individual can increase glycogen levels when eating at the perfect time for increased muscle capacity, but also how you can lower blood glucose levels with different types of exercise when fasting. This info will be very beneficial to people who suffer from diabetes, or even athletes who was to optimize performance
Unusual Phase Transitions and Magnetoelastic Coupling in TlFe1.6Se2 Single Crystals
Structural, magnetic, electrical transport, and heat capacity data are
reported for single crystals of TlFe1.6Se2. This compound crystallizes in a
tetragonal structure similar to the ThCr2Si2 structure, but with vacancies in
the Fe layer. The vacancies can be ordered or disordered depending on
temperature and thermal history. If the vacancies are ordered, the basal plane
lattice constant increases from a to \sqrt{5}a. Antiferromagnetic order with
the Fe spins along the c-axis occurs below T_N ~ 430K as shown by single
crystal neutron diffraction and the magnetic structure is reported. In
addition, for the vacancy ordered crystal, two other phase transitions are
found at T_1 ~ 140K, and T_2 ~ 100K. The phase transitions at T_1 and T_2 are
evident in heat capacity, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity data, a and c
lattice parameters, and in the unusual temperature dependence of the magnetic
order parameter determined from neutron scattering. The phase transitions at
T_1 and T_2 result in significant changes in the magnetic moment per iron, with
1.72(6)\mu_B observed at 300K, 2.07(9)\mu_B at 140\,K, 1.90(9)\,\mu_B at
115\,K, and 1.31(8)\mu_B for 5\,K if the same "block checkerboard" magnetic
structure is used at all temperatures. The phase transitions appear to be
driven by small changes in the c lattice constant, large magnetoelastic
coupling, and the localization of carriers with decreasing temperature.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review
In vivo nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
A number of physiological changes have been demonstrated in bone, muscle and blood after exposure of humans and animals to microgravity. Determining mechanisms and the development of effective countermeasures for long duration space missions is an important NASA goal. The advent of tomographic nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR or MRI) gives NASA a way to greatly extend early studies of this phenomena in ways not previously possible; NMR is also noninvasive and safe. NMR provides both superb anatomical images for volume assessments of individual organs and quantification of chemical/physical changes induced in the examined tissues. The feasibility of NMR as a tool for human physiological research as it is affected by microgravity is demonstrated. The animal studies employed the rear limb suspended rat as a model of mucle atrophy that results from microgravity. And bedrest of normal male subjects was used to simulate the effects of microgravity on bone and muscle
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