Slot Machine Near Wins: Effects on Pause and Sensitivity to Win Ratios

When a near-win outcome occurs on a slot machine, stimuli presented resemble those presented when money is won, but no money is won. Research has shown that gamblers prefer and play for longer on slot machines that present near wins. One explanation for this is that near wins are conditioned reinforcers. If so, near wins would produce longer latencies to the next response than clear losses. Another explanation is that near wins produce frustration; if so, then near wins would produce shorter response latencies. The two current experiments manipulated win ratio across two concurrently available slot machines and also manipulated near win frequency. Latencies were longer following near wins, consistent with near wins functioning as conditioned reinforcers. We also explored the effects of near wins on sensitivity to relative win rate and found that higher rates of near wins were associated with greater sensitivity to relative win frequency, an effect also consistent with near wins as conditioned reinforcers

Estimating the environmental impact of dairy cattle breeding programs through emission intensity.

A recently developed methodological approach for determining the greenhouse gas emissions impact of national breeding programs was applied to measure the effects of current and future breeding goals on the emission intensity (EI) of the Canadian dairy industry. Emission intensity is the ratio of greenhouse gas outputted in comparison to the product generated. Traits under investigation affected EI by either decreasing the direct emissions yield (i.e. increasing feed performance), changing herd structure (i.e. prolonging herd life) or through the dilution effect of increased production (i.e. increasing fat yield). The intensity value (IV) of each trait, defined as the change in emissions' intensity per unit change in each trait, was calculated for each of the investigated traits. The IV trend of these traits was compared for the current and prospective selection index, as well as for a system with and without quota (the supply management policy designed to prevent overproduction). The overall EI of the average genetic merit Canadian dairy herd per breeding female was 5.07 kg CO2eq/kg protein equivalent output. The annual reduction in EI due to the improvement of production traits was -0.027, -0.018 and -0.006 for fat, protein and milk other solids, respectively. The functional traits, herd life and mastitis resistance, had more modest effects (-0.008 and -0.001, respectively). These results are consistent with international studies that identified traits related to production, survival, health and fertility as having the largest impact on the environmental footprint of dairy cattle. Overall, the dairy industry is becoming more efficient by reducing its EI through selection of environmentally favorable traits, with a 1% annual reduction of EI in Canada

Wildfire risk for main vegetation units in a biodiversity hotspot : modeling approach in New Caledonia, South Pacific

Wildfire has been recognized as one of the most ubiquitous disturbance agents to impact on natural environments. In this study, our main objective was to propose a modeling approach to investigate the potential impact of wildfire on biodiversity. The method is illustrated with an application example in New Caledonia where conservation and sustainable biodiversity management represent an important challenge. Firstly, a biodiversity loss index, including the diversity and the vulnerability indexes, was calculated for every vegetation unit in New Caledonia and mapped according to its distribution over the New Caledonian mainland. Then, based on spatially explicit fire behavior simulations (using the FLAMMAP software) and fire ignition probabilities, two original fire risk assessment approaches were proposed: a one-off event model and a multi-event burn probability model. The spatial distribution of fire risk across New Caledonia was similar for both indices with very small localized spots having high risk. The patterns relating to highest risk are all located around the remaining sclerophyll forest fragments and are representing 0.012% of the mainland surface. A small part of maquis and areas adjacent to dense humid forest on ultramafic substrates should also be monitored. Vegetation interfaces between secondary and primary units displayed high risk and should represent priority zones for fire effects mitigation. Low fire ignition probability in anthropogenic-free areas decreases drastically the risk. A one-off event associated risk allowed localizing of the most likely ignition areas with potential for extensive damage. Emergency actions could aim limiting specific fire spread known to have high impact or consist of on targeting high risk areas to limit one-off fire ignitions. Spatially explicit information on burning probability is necessary for setting strategic fire and fuel management planning. Both risk indices provide clues to preserve New Caledonia hot spot of biodiversity facing wildfires

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000): Overview of the Dry Season Field Campaign

The Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) is an international science project investigating the earth-atmosphere-human system in southern Africa. The programme was conducted over a two-year period from March 1999 to March 2001. The dry season field campaign (August-September 2000) was the most intensive activity and involved over 200 scientists from eighteen countries. The main objectives were to characterize and quantify biogenic, pyrogenic and anthropogenic aerosol and trace gas emissions and their transport and transformations in the atmosphere, and to validate NASA\u27s Earth Observing System\u27s satellite Terra within a scientific context. Five aircraft - two South African Weather Service Aerocommanders, the University of Washington\u27s CV-580, the U.K. Meteorological Office\u27s C-130, and NASA\u27s ER-2-with different altitude capabilities, participated in the campaign. Additional airborne sampling of southern African air masses, that had moved downwind of the subcontinent, was conducted by the CSIRO over Australia. Multiple observations were made in various geographical sectors under different synoptic conditions. Airborne missions were designed to optimize the value of synchronous over-flights of the Terra satellite platform, above regional ground validation and science targets. Numerous smaller-scale ground validation activities took place throughout the subcontinent during the campaign period

Biomass burning fuel consumption rates: a field measurement database

Landscape fires show large variability in the amount of biomass or fuel consumed per unit area burned. Fuel consumption (FC) depends on the biomass available to burn and the fraction of the biomass that is actually combusted, and can be combined with estimates of area burned to assess emissions. While burned area can be detected from space and estimates are becoming more reliable due to improved algorithms and sensors, FC is usually modeled or taken selectively from the literature. We compiled the peerreviewed literature on FC for various biomes and fuel categories to understand FC and its variability better, and to provide a database that can be used to constrain biogeochemical models with fire modules. We compiled in total 77 studies covering 11 biomes including savanna (15 studies, average FC of 4.6 t DM (dry matter) ha 1 with a standard deviation of 2.2),tropical forest (n = 19, FC = 126 +/- 77),temperate forest (n = 12, FC = 58 +/- 72),boreal forest (n = 16, FC = 35 +/- 24),pasture (n = 4, FC = 28 +/- 9.3),shifting cultivation (n = 2, FC = 23, with a range of 4.0-43),crop residue (n = 4, FC = 6.5 +/- 9.0),chaparral (n = 3, FC = 27 +/- 19),tropical peatland (n = 4, FC = 314 +/- 196),boreal peatland (n = 2, FC = 42 [42-43]),and tundra (n = 1, FC = 40). Within biomes the regional variability in the number of measurements was sometimes large, with e. g. only three measurement locations in boreal Russia and 35 sites in North America. Substantial regional differences in FC were found within the defined biomes: for example, FC of temperate pine forests in the USA was 37% lower than Australian forests dominated by eucalypt trees. Besides showing the differences between biomes, FC estimates were also grouped into different fuel classes. Our results highlight the large variability in FC, not only between biomes but also within biomes and fuel classes. This implies that substantial uncertainties are associated with using biome-averaged values to represent FC for whole biomes. Comparing the compiled FC values with co-located Global Fire Emissions Database version 3 (GFED3) FC indicates that modeling studies that aim to represent variability in FC also within biomes, still require improvements as they have difficulty in representing the dynamics governing FC

Ageing Intensifies the Care Needs of Adults Living with Parkinson ’s Disease and their Carers

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disorder in Australia typically affecting people over the age of 65. Few studies of people living with Parkinson’s disease have estimated current hours of home support and unmet needs. In addition no studies have been found that estimate hours of unmet need in terms of functioning or care arrangements or examined whether these estimates differ depending on the viewpoints of carers and the people living with PD whom they care for. In 2007, we surveyed the home care support needs of adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in Western Australia (WA). The survey revealed that adults living with Parkinson’s disease prefer, and can be supported with, home care support services in lieu of residential care placement. As expected, required services increased as functioning decreased. In addition, unmet needs were found to be greater for those with carers irrespective of their level of functional dependency. Unmet needs for weekly services, for people that require home support services, are estimated at 38, 33, 55 and 47 min for personal care, cleaning, social support, and gardening and home maintenance, respectively. The survey also found that most carers and people living with PD agreed that current levels of different types of home care support including nursing were either adequate or insufficient; some carers preferred more services even if the people living with PD were satisfied and some people living with PD wanted more services even if their carers reported needing no extra help. Respite was used by 29 % of people living with PD with carers with two thirds wanting more opportunities for respite. Of the 71 % of people living with PD with carers who had not used respite, less than half stated that they would like to use respite. The 2007 survey was followed by interviews with a sample of survey respondents at different stages of their disorder. In the interviews, most of the people living with Parkinson’s disease commented that continuing to remain at home depended on the rate of degeneration of their disorder as well as the ability of their carers to continue to care. Most of these people and their careers were living day-to-day with a hope that enough support would be made available if and when they need it. As vocal Baby Boomers age, policymakers would do well to acknowledge the diversity of care needs for people with Parkinson’s disease and address the quantum and type of support to meet these needs

Co-morbidity and polypharmacy in Parkinson's Disease:insights from a large Scottish primary care database

Background: Parkinson’s disease is complicated by comorbidity and polypharmacy, but the extent and patterns of these are unclear. We describe comorbidity and polypharmacy in patients with and without Parkinson’s disease across 31 other physical, and seven mental health conditions. Methods: We analysed primary health-care data on 510,502 adults aged 55 and over. We generated standardised prevalence rates by age-groups, gender, and neighbourhood deprivation, then calculated age, sex and deprivation adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for those with PD compared to those without, for the prevalence, and number of conditions. Results: Two thousand six hundred forty (0.5%) had Parkinson’s disease, of whom only 7.4% had no other conditions compared with 22.9% of controls (adjusted OR [aOR] 0.43, 95% 0.38–0.49). The Parkinson’s group had more conditions, with the biggest difference found for seven or more conditions (PD 12.1% vs. controls 3.9%; aOR 2.08 95% CI 1.84–2.35). 12 of the 31 physical conditions and five of the seven mental health conditions were significantly more prevalent in the PD group. 44.5% with Parkinson’s disease were on five to nine repeat prescriptions compared to 24.5% of controls (aOR 1.40; 95% CI 1.28 to 1.53) and 19.2% on ten or more compared to 6.2% of controls (aOR 1.90; 95% CI 1.68 to 2.15). Conclusions: Parkinson’s disease is associated with substantial physical and mental co-morbidity. Polypharmacy is also a significant issue due to the complex nature of the disease and associated treatments

Differentiating Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease from Controls and Hemifacial Spasm

10.1371/journal.pone.0049596PLoS ONE82