2,313 research outputs found
The mineral resources of the English Channel and Thames Estuary
This report accompanies the Marine mineral resource map the marine sand and gravel resources
of the English Channel and Thames Estuary (Bide et al, 2012). It has been published as part of
the research project Mineral Resource Assessment of the UK Continental Shelf commissioned by
The Crown Estate. The map is one of a series that covers the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).
Knowledge of mineral resources is essential for effective and sustainable planning decisions. The
marine mineral resource maps provide a comprehensive, relevant and accessible information
base. This information will allow all stakeholders (planners, industry and members of the public)
to visualise the distribution of offshore minerals to a common standard and at a common scale,
an important requirement of an integrated marine planning system. The maps will also facilitate
the conservation (safeguarding) of non-renewable mineral resources for future generations in
accordance with the principles of sustainable development
Women’s emotional and sexual attraction to men across the menstrual cycle
There is ongoing debate about how and why the menstrual cycle affects women’s attraction to men. According to the dual sexuality hypothesis, women form pair-bond relationships with men who provide care but also obtain genetic benefits by biasing mating effort towards men with high-fitness genes during the fertile phase. By contrast, the commitment hypothesis proposes that attachment bonds with primary partners function to strengthen pair-bond relationships by enhancing in-pair attraction at the fertile phase, rather than extrapair attraction. We tested these hypotheses by measuring women’s daily sexual and emotional attraction towards men over the whole menstrual cycle. We employed 1) a urinary luteinizing hormone test to determine the day of ovulation, 2) a 5-part classification of menstrual cycle that identifies a distinct peri-ovulatory phase, and 3) individualized phase identification for each participant. There was a mid-cycle rise in extrapair sexual desire. Women gave and received more care from partners during the menstrual than the mid-cycle phases. Partner’s sexual attractiveness and mutual commitment did not moderate these findings. The results do not support either the dual sexuality or commitment hypotheses, and imply that female self-reported sexual desire is not strictly dependent on cyclic hormonal changes. Our results are more consistent with a recently proposed `spandrel’ hypothesis, positing cycle phase effects as a nonfunctional by-product of raised estradiol. Additionally, we found that, with the date of ovulation estimated by luteinizing hormone tests, 45% of ovulations were misclassified by the backward counting method, which urges caution in interpreting results based on counting methods
Reducing smoking in adolescents: cost-effectiveness results from the cluster randomized ASSIST (A Stop Smoking In Schools Trial)
Introduction: School-based smoking prevention programmes can be effective, but evidence on cost-effectiveness is lacking. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of a school-based “peer-led” intervention.<p></p>
Methods: We evaluated the ASSIST (A Stop Smoking In Schools Trial) programme in a cluster randomized controlled trial. The ASSIST programme trained students to act as peer supporters during informal interactions to encourage their peers not to smoke. Fifty-nine secondary schools in England and Wales were randomized to receive the ASSIST programme or usual smoking education. Ten thousand seven hundred and thirty students aged 12–13 years attended participating schools. Previous work has demonstrated that the ASSIST programme achieved a 2.1% (95% CI = 0%–4.2%) reduction in smoking prevalence. We evaluated the public sector cost, prevalence of weekly smoking, and cost per additional student not smoking at 24 months.<p></p>
Results: The ASSIST programme cost of £32 (95% CI = £29.70–£33.80) per student. The incremental cost per student not smoking at 2 years was £1,500 (95% CI = £669–£9,947). Students in intervention schools were less likely to believe that they would be a smoker at age 16 years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.66–0.96).<p></p>
Conclusions: A peer-led intervention reduced smoking among adolescents at a modest cost. The intervention is cost-effective under realistic assumptions regarding the extent to which reductions in adolescent smoking lead to lower smoking prevalence and/or earlier smoking cessation in adulthood. The annual cost of extending the intervention to Year 8 students in all U.K. schools would be in the region of £38 million and could result in 20,400 fewer adolescent smokers.<p></p>
Changes to DPPC domain structure in the presence of carbon nanoparticles
DPPC (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine) is a disaturated lipid capable of forming closely packed monolayers at the air–liquid interface of the lung and allows the surface tension within the alveoli to reduce to almost zero and thus prevent alveolar collapse. Carbon nanoparticles are formed in natural and man-made combustion events, including diesel engines, and are capable of reaching the alveolar epithelium during breathing. In this work, we have used Brewster angle microscopy and neutron reflectivity to study the effect of differing concentrations of carbon nanoparticles on the structure of DPPC monolayer as the monolayer is subject to compression and expansion. The results show that the inclusion of carbon nanoparticles within a DPPC monolayer affects the formation and structure of the lipid domains. The domains lose their circular structure and show a crenated structure as well as a reduction in overall size of the domains. This change in structure is also evident following expansion of the lipid monolayer, suggesting that some carbon nanoparticles may remain associated with the monolayer. This observation could have an important implication regarding the removal of nanosized airborne pollutants from the human lung
The mineral resources of the East Inshore and East Offshore marine plan areas, southern North Sea
Minerals are naturally occurring raw materials essential for the development of a modern
economy. However, mineral resources are finite and can only be worked where they occur. As
their extraction is subject to many constraints, it is important that society uses minerals in the
most efficient and sustainable manner. Identifying the distribution of known mineral resources
on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and presenting them in a consistent fashion at a national
scale allows minerals to be considered in the marine spatial planning process and permits more
effective and sustainable management strategies to be developed.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has undertaken a commission from The Crown Estate to
prepare a series of mineral resource maps which cover the UKCS. Mineral resource information
was compiled following a desk study of data held by the BGS and external sources. This report
summarises the mineral resources depicted on the first of these maps - the East Inshore and East
Offshore Marine Plan Areas in the southern North Sea. These are the first areas (Figure 1) for
which the Marine Management Organisation is preparing marine plans (MMO, 2010).
The map has been produced by the collation and interpretation of a wide range of information,
much of which is spatially variable and not always available in a consistent and convenient form.
The map depicts mineral resources of current or potential future economic interest in the area. It
comprises a 1:500 000 scale map (which accompanies this report) depicting marine aggregate
(sand and gravel) resources on the sea bed, and two 1:1 500 000 scale maps (as annexes in this
report) depicting coal and evaporite resources at depth beneath the sea bed. These map scales are
convenient for the overall display of the data. However, all the data are held digitally at larger
scales using a Geographical Information System (GIS), which allows for revision, updating and
customisation of the information, together with integration with other datasets
Social capital and soil conservation: Evidence from the Philippines
The formation of social capital is hypothesised to enhance collective efforts for soil conservation. The Landcare Program in the Southern Philippines promotes simple conservation practices in upland environments by supporting community landcare groups and municipal landcare associations, thus augmenting social capital. A study was conducted in 2002 to evaluate the Landcare Program, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques. In this paper the relationship between social capital formation and adoption of soil conservation is investigated. It is concluded that, although membership in a local landcare group was not a major factor in adoption, the Landcare Program as a whole created a valuable stock of bridging social capital, with significant benefits for long-term natural resource management
Instabilities in the Flux Line Lattice of Anisotropic Superconductors
The stability of the flux line lattice has been investigated within
anisotropic London theory. This is the first full-scale investigation of
instabilities in the `chain' state. It has been found that the lattice is
stable at large fields, but that instabilities occur as the field is reduced.
The field at which these instabilities first arise, ,
depends on the anisotropy and the angle at which the
lattice is tilted away from the -axis. These instabilities initially occur
at wavevector , and the component of along the
average direction of the flux lines, , is always finite. As the
instability occurs at finite the dependence of the cutoff on is
important, and we have used a cutoff suggested by Sudb\ospace and Brandt. The
instabilities only occur for values of the anisotropy appropriate to
a material like BSCCO, and not for anisotropies more appropriate to YBCO. The
lower critical field is calculated as a function of the angle
at which the applied field is tilted away from the crystal axis. The
presence of kinks in is seen to be related to instabilities in
the equilibrium flux line structure.Comment: Extensively revised paper, with modified analysis of elastic
instabilities. Calculation of the lower critical field is included, and the
presence of kinks in is seen to be related to the elastic
instabilities. 29 pages including 16 figures, LaTeX with epsf styl
Harvest strategy evaluation to optimise the sustainability and value of the Queensland scallop fishery. Queensland scallop fishery - FRDC Project No 2006/024 Final Report
Objective
1. Measure spatial and temporal trawl frequency of scallop grounds using VMS data. This will provide a relative measure of how often individual undersized scallops are caught and put through a tumbler
2. Estimate discard mortality and growth rates for saucer scallops using cage experiments.
3. Evaluate the current management measures, in particular the seasonal closure, rotational closure and seasonally varying minimum legal sizes using stock assessment and management modeling models. Recommend optimal range of management measures to ensure long-term viability and value of the Scallop fishery based on a formal management strategy evaluation.
Outcomes acheived to date:
1. Improved understanding of the survival rates of discarded sub-legal scallops;
2. Preliminary von Bertalanffy growth parameters using data from tagged-and-released scallops;
3. Changing trends in vessels and fishing gear used in the Queensland scallop fishery and their effect on scallop catch rates over time using standardised catch rates quantified;
4. Increases in fishing power of vessels operating in the Queensland scallop fishery quantified;
5. Trawl intensity mapped and quantified for all Scallop Replenishment Areas;
6. Harvest Strategy Evaluations completed
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