Impact of Offshore Winds on a Buoyant River Plume System

Idealized numerical simulations utilizing the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) are carried out to examine the response of buoyant river plume systems to offshore-directed wind stresses. It is found that after a few inertial periods of wind forcing the plume becomes detached from the coast and reaches a steady state in terms of the plume’s offshore position, width, and plume-averaged depth, salinity, and velocity. The steady-state offshore position of the plume is a balance between the cross-shore advection driven by the estuarine outflow and the alongshore advection driven by the Ekman velocities, and is described using the ratio of the outflow Froude number and the plume Froude number. The steady-state salinity structure is maintained by a balance between the cross-shore advection of salt creating stratification, the turbulent vertical mixing, and the downstream transport of freshwater continually resetting the system. Plume mixing is also analyzed using a salinity coordinate system to track the changes in freshwater volume in salinity space and time. A dynamical plume region classification is developed with use of a Richardson number–based critical mixing salinity criterion in salinity space. This salinity class–based classification agrees well with a classification based on an alongshore analysis of the salt flux equation. For this classification the near field is dominated by large cross-shore fluxes and the midfield by a diminishing cross-shore salt flux, and in the far field there is a balance between the alongshore salt flux and turbulent mixing

Parent education interventions designed to support the transition to parenthood: A realist review

AbstractBackgroundPublic health nurses use parent education programmes to support individuals’ transition to parenthood. A wide array of these programmes exists; however, the approach must be accommodated by resources available in a publicly funded system. For example, some new-parent education approaches use 1:1 home visiting (with a nurse or trained lay-home visitor) but the costs of this intensive approach can be prohibitive. Because of this limitation there is an interest in identifying effective and efficient new parent educational approaches that can realistically be provided at a universal level. Unfortunately, there is a lack of high-quality evaluation identifying programmes or educational processes that meet these criteria.ObjectivesTo identify potentially effective new-parenting education interventions that could be implemented at a population level during the transition to parenthood period.DesignRealist synthesis.Data sourcesMedline, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, grey literature.Review methodsA realist review method generated a total of 72 papers that were used to inform the results. A three-pronged approach was used incorporating an initial search (6), a database search using applicable keywords and MeSH headings (58), and review of literature identified by advisory group (8 grey literature). An ‘implementation chain’ was developed to outline the overall logic and process behind parent education interventions and to guide the analysis.ResultsSeventy-two papers informed this review: 13 systematic reviews/meta-analyses, 34 intervention studies, 9 opinion papers, 8 programme reviews, and 8 grey literature reports. There was no compelling evidence to suggest that a single educational programme or delivery format was effective at a universal level. Some inherent issues were identified. For example, adult learning principles were overlooked and theories of parent–child interaction were not in evidence. No direct links between universal new-parent education programmes and child development outcomes were established. Programme reach and attrition were key challenges. Programme evaluation criteria were inconsistent, with an over-reliance on parent satisfaction or self-reported intention to change behaviour. There was evidence that effective facilitators helped increase parents’ perceived satisfaction with programmes.ConclusionsIt is unlikely that a single standardized format or programme will meet all the specific learning needs of parents. Multiple approaches that will allow people to access information or education at a time and in a format that suits them may be of value. The importance of the transition to parenthood and its impact on parent and child wellbeing warrant careful consideration of current programming and careful evaluation of future initiatives

A Measurement of the Longitudinal Acceptance of the K600 Magnetic Spectrometer

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

A Novel Role for the GTPase-Activating Protein Bud2 in the Spindle Position Checkpoint

The spindle position checkpoint (SPC) ensures correct mitotic spindle position before allowing mitotic exit in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In a candidate screen for checkpoint genes, we identified bud2Δ as deficient for the SPC. Bud2 is a GTPase activating protein (GAP), and the only known substrate of Bud2 was Rsr1/Bud1, a Ras-like GTPase and a central component of the bud-site-selection pathway. Mutants lacking Rsr1/Bud1 had no checkpoint defect, as did strains lacking and overexpressing Bud5, a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rsr1/Bud1. Thus, the checkpoint function of Bud2 is distinct from its role in bud site selection. The catalytic activity of the Bud2 GAP domain was required for the checkpoint, based on the failure of the known catalytic point mutant Bud2R682A to function in the checkpoint. Based on assays of heterozygous diploids, bud2R682A, was dominant for loss of checkpoint but recessive for bud-site-selection failure, further indicating a separation of function. Tem1 is a Ras-like protein and is the critical regulator of mitotic exit, sitting atop the mitotic exit network (MEN). Tem1 is a likely target for Bud2, supported by genetic analyses that exclude other Ras-like proteins

Value of formalisation for women entrepreneurs in developing contexts: a review and research agenda

Formalisation is constantly being proposed as of great benefit to business expansion and success. This claim however has not been previously tested through a review of the empirical evidence, especially in relation to the large number of women in the developing world that operate in the informal economy. Therefore, our aim in this review is to systematise the current empirical evidence on gender, the informal economy and formalisation using a narrative synthesis of 76 papers. The papers were analysed along three main analytical themes – identity, institutions and, constraints and preferences, highlighting their conceptualisation in studies of different academic disciplines – economics, sociology, entrepreneurship and development. The review calls for more accurate accounts of formalisation decisions by widening the lens through which formalisations decisions are conceptualised. These should take account of the rich contextual and temporal dimensions central to these decisions, and recognise that gender alone is not a sufficient factor in explaining women’s choices in the informal economy. The review also highlights limitations in relation to the limited conceptual and empirical evidence on which development priorities such as formalisation are set. We propose a research agenda that centres on the need for conceptual frameworks that are more sensitive towards the multi-dimensional contexts of women’s choices

A Measurement of the Electric Form Factor of the Neutron through d⃗(e⃗,e′n)p\vec{d}(\vec{e},e'n)p at Q2=0.5Q^2 = 0.5 (GeV/c)2^2

We report the first measurement of the neutron electric form factor $G_E^n$ via $\vec{d}(\vec{e},e'n)p$ using a solid polarized target. $G_E^n$ was determined from the beam-target asymmetry in the scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from polarized deuterated ammonia, $^{15}$ND$_3$. The measurement was performed in Hall C at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) in quasi free kinematics with the target polarization perpendicular to the momentum transfer. The electrons were detected in a magnetic spectrometer in coincidence with neutrons in a large solid angle segmented detector. We find $G_E^n = 0.04632\pm0.00616 (stat.) \pm0.00341 (syst.)$ at $Q^2 = 0.495$ (GeV/c)$^2$.Comment: Latex2e 5 pages, 3 figure

Charged pion form factor between Q^2=0.60 and 2.45 GeV^2. II. Determination of, and results for, the pion form factor

The charged pion form factor, Fpi(Q^2), is an important quantity which can be used to advance our knowledge of hadronic structure. However, the extraction of Fpi from data requires a model of the 1H(e,e'pi+)n reaction, and thus is inherently model dependent. Therefore, a detailed description of the extraction of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data obtained recently at Jefferson Lab is presented, with particular focus given to the dominant uncertainties in this procedure. Results for Fpi are presented for Q^2=0.60-2.45 GeV^2. Above Q^2=1.5 GeV^2, the Fpi values are systematically below the monopole parameterization that describes the low Q^2 data used to determine the pion charge radius. The pion form factor can be calculated in a wide variety of theoretical approaches, and the experimental results are compared to a number of calculations. This comparison is helpful in understanding the role of soft versus hard contributions to hadronic structure in the intermediate Q^2 regime.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure