Advance telephone calls ahead of reminder questionnaires increase response rate in non-responders compared to questionnaire reminders only : The RECORD phone trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Habitable Zones of Host Stars During the Post-MS Phase

A star will become brighter and brighter with stellar evolution, and the distance of its habitable zone will become farther and farther. Some planets outside the habitable zone of a host star during the main sequence phase may enter the habitable zone of the host star during other evolutionary phases. A terrestrial planet within the habitable zone of its host star is generally thought to be suited to life existence. Furthermore, a rocky moon around a giant planet may be also suited to life survive, provided that the planet-moon system is within the habitable zone of its host star. Using Eggleton's code and the boundary flux of habitable zone, we calculate the habitable zone of our Solar after the main sequence phase. It is found that Mars' orbit and Jupiter's orbit will enter the habitable zone of Solar during the subgiant branch phase and the red giant branch phase, respectively. And the orbit of Saturn will enter the habitable zone of Solar during the He-burning phase for about 137 million years. Life is unlikely at any time on Saturn, as it is a giant gaseous planet. However, Titan, the rocky moon of Saturn, may be suitable for biological evolution and become another Earth during that time. For low-mass stars, there are similar habitable zones during the He-burning phase as our Solar, because there are similar core masses and luminosities for these stars during that phase.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. Accepted by Ap & S

Habitable Zones and UV Habitable Zones around Host Stars

Ultraviolet radiation is a double-edged sword to life. If it is too strong, the terrestrial biological systems will be damaged. And if it is too weak, the synthesis of many biochemical compounds can not go along. We try to obtain the continuous ultraviolet habitable zones, and compare the ultraviolet habitable zones with the habitable zones of host stars. Using the boundary ultraviolet radiation of ultraviolet habitable zone, we calculate the ultraviolet habitable zones of host stars with masses from 0.08 to 4.00 \mo. For the host stars with effective temperatures lower than 4,600 K, the ultraviolet habitable zones are closer than the habitable zones. For the host stars with effective temperatures higher than 7,137 K, the ultraviolet habitable zones are farther than the habitable zones. For hot subdwarf as a host star, the distance of the ultraviolet habitable zone is about ten times more than that of the habitable zone, which is not suitable for life existence.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Ammonia and nitrous oxide emission factors for excreta deposited by livestock and land-applied manure

Manure application to land and deposition of urine and dung by grazing animals are major sources of ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Utilizing data on NH3 and N2O emissions following land-applied manures and excreta deposited during grazing, emission factors (EFs) disaggregated by climate zone were developed and effects of mitigation strategies evaluated. The NH3 data represents emissions from cattle and swine manures in temperate wet climates, while the N2O data includes cattle, sheep and swine manure emissions in temperate wet/dry and tropical wet/dry climates. The NH3 EFs for broadcast cattle solid manure and slurry were 0.03 and 0.24 kg NH3-N kg-1 total N (TN), respectively, while broadcast swine slurry was 0.29. Emissions from both cattle and swine slurry were reduced between 46 and 62% with low emissions application methods. Land application of cattle and swine manure in wet climates had EFs of 0.005 and 0.011 kg N2O-N kg-1 TN, respectively, while in dry climates the EF for cattle manure was 0.0031. The N2O EF for cattle urine and dung in wet climates was 0.0095 and 0.002 kg N2O-N kg-1 TN, respectively, which were three times greater than for dry climates. The N2O EFs for sheep urine and dung in wet climates were 0.0043 and 0.0005, respectively. The use of nitrification inhibitors reduced emissions in swine manure, cattle urine/dung and sheep urine by 45 to 63%. These enhanced EFs can improve national inventories; however, more data is needed across multiple livestock species and climates

DataMan: A global dataset of nitrous oxide and ammonia emission factors for excreta deposited by livestock and land-applied manure

Nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) emissions from the manure management chain of livestock production systems are important contributors to greenhouse gases (GHG) and NH3 emitted by human activities. Several studies have evaluated manure-related emissions and associated key variables at regional, national or continental scales. However, there have been few studies focusing on these emissions using a global dataset. An international project was created (DataMan) to develop a global database on GHG and NH3 emissions from the manure management chain (housing, storage and field), to identify key variables influencing emissions, and ultimately to refine EFs for future national GHG inventories and NH3 emission reporting. This paper describes the “field” database that focuses on N2O and NH3 EFs from land-applied manure and excreta deposited by grazing livestock. We collated relevant information (EFs, manure characteristics, soil properties and climatic conditions) from published peer-reviewed research, theses, conference papers and existing databases. The database, containing 5,632 observations compiled from 184 studies, was relatively evenly split between N2O and NH3 (56% and 44% of the EF values, respectively). The N2O data were derived from studies conducted in 21 countries on five continents, with New Zealand, the UK, Kenya and Brazil representing 86% of the data. The NH3 data originated from studies conducted in 17 countries on four continents, with the UK, Denmark, Canada and the Netherlands representing 79% of the data. Wet temperate climates represented 90% of the total database. The DataMan field database is available online at http:// dataman.azurewebsites.net

Australia Day, flags on cars and Australian nationalism

This article reports the results of research into the recent popular phenomenon of flying Australian flags on one’s car for Australia Day. A survey was undertaken in Western Australia in 2011 to ascertain who flies the flag and why. Results indicate the phenomenon was widespread, with a quarter of those surveyed displaying car-flags. A clear relationship between car-flag-flying and exclusionary nationalism is demonstrated. Car-flag-flyers rate more highly on measures of patriotism and nationalism, and feel more negative towards Muslims and asylum seekers, and more positive about the White Australia Policy. They are also significantly more likely to feel their culture and values are in danger, and have a nativist vision of Australian identity. While both groups are positive about Australia’s diversity, car-flag-flyers are more likely to feel that migrants should assimilate. The results support other literature that suggests that in some contexts the Australian flag has come to be associated with exclusionary nationalism

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types

How the west was once: vegetation change in south-west Queensland from 1930 to 1995

Conflicting perceptions of past and present rangeland condition and limited historical data have led to debate regarding the management of vegetation in pastoral landscapes both internationally and in Australia. In light of this controversy we have sought to provide empirical evidence to determine the trajectory of vegetational change in a semi-arid rangeland for a significant portion of the 20th century using a suite of proxy measures. Ambathala Station, approximately 780 km west of Brisbane, in the semi-arid rangelands of south-western Queensland, Australia. We excavated stratified deposits of sheep manure which had accumulated beneath a shearing shed between the years 1930 and 1995. Multi-proxy data, including pollen and leaf cuticle analyses and analysis of historical aerial photography were coupled with a fine resolution radiocarbon chronology to generate a near annual history of vegetation on the property and local area. Aerial photography indicates that minor (< 5%) increases in the density of woody vegetation took place between 1951 and 1994 in two thirds of the study area not subjected to clearing. Areas that were selectively or entirely cleared prior to the 1950s (approximately 16% of the study area) had recovered to almost 60% of their original cover by the 1994 photo period. This slight thickening is only partially evident from pollen and leaf cuticle analyses of sheep faeces. Very little change in vegetation is revealed over the nearly 65 years based on the relative abundances of pollen taxonomic groups. Microhistological examination of sheep faeces provides evidence of dramatic changes in sheep diet. The majority of dietary changes are associated with climatic events of sustained above-average rainfall or persistent drought. Most notable in the dietary analysis is the absence of grass during the first two decades of the record. In contrast to prevailing perceptions and limited research into long-term vegetation change in the semi-arid areas of eastern Australia, the record of vegetation change at the Ambathala shearing shed indicates only a minor increase in woody vegetation cover and no decrease in grass cover on the property over the 65 years of pastoral activity covered by the study. However, there are marked changes in the abundance of grass cuticles in sheep faeces. The appearance and persistence of grass in sheep diets from the late 1940s can be attributed to the effects of periods of high rainfall and possibly some clearing and thinning of vegetation. Lower stock numbers may have allowed grass to persist through later drought years. The relative abundances of major groups of plant pollen have not changed significantly over the past 65 years