B and B-s meson decay constants from lattice QCD

We present a new determination of the B and B-s meson decay constants using nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics (NRQCD) b-quarks, highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) light and strange valence quarks and the MILC collaboration N-f = 2 + 1 lattices. The new calculations improve on HPQCD\u27s earlier work with NRQCD b-quarks by replacing AsqTad with HISQ valence quarks, by including a more chiral MILC fine ensemble in the analysis, and by employing better tuned quark masses and overall scale. We find f (B) = 0.191(9) GeV, f (Bs) = 0.228(10) GeV and f (Bs)/f (B) = 1.188(18). Combining the new value for f (Bs)/f (B) with a recent very precise determination of the B-s meson decay constant based on HISQ b-quarks, f (Bs) = 0.225(4) GeV, leads to f (B) = 0.189(4) GeV. With errors of just 2.1% this represents the most precise f (B) available today

Der Einfluss unzureichender prothetischer Versorgung auf den Ernährungszustand und die Lebensqualität geriatrischer Patienten

Ziel der Untersuchung: Mit dieser Studie sollen Zusammenhänge zwischen der Versorgung älterer Patienten mit Zahnersatz und ihrem Ernährungszustand sowie der Lebensqualität analysiert werden. Hintergrund: Es gibt zahlreiche Hinweise darauf, dass der Gebisszustand einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf den Ernährungszustand älterer Patienten hat und verantwortlich für eine Mangelernährung sein kann. Des Weiteren deuten aktuelle Untersuchungen daraufhin, dass ebenfalls Zusammenhänge zwischen Gebisszustand und mundgesundheitsbezogener Lebensqualität (MLQ) bestehen. Material und Methode: In das Untersuchungsvorhaben wurden insgesamt 100 Probanden einbezogen, welche mindestens 60 Jahre alt und mit festsitzendem oder herausnehmbaren Zahnersatz versorgt waren. Die Probanden wurden nach der zahnärztlichen Untersuchung in zwei Gruppen aufgeteilt. Bei den Probanden der einen Gruppe lag eine akzeptable bis gute prothetische Versorgung vor, eine zahnärztliche Intervention war nicht erforderlich. Bei den Probanden der andren Gruppe war eine Reparatur oder Erneuerung des Zahnersatzes notwendig. Der Ernährungszustand wurde mittels Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) und der Untersuchung einiger wichtiger Ernährungsmarker im Blut analysiert. Die MLQ wurde mittels der Fragebögen OHIP-G, OHIP-G14 und "Anamnestischer Index nach Dworkin" bewertet. Zusätzlich wurde ein einfacher Kaufunktionstest durchgeführt, bei dem die Patienten Karottenwürfel definierter Größe möglichst fein zerkauen sollten. Ergebnisse: Zeigten sich beim MNA hochsignifikante Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen, so konnten bei der Analyse der Blutparameter keine signifikanten Unterschiede festgestellt werden. Beim OHIP-G zeigte sich ein signifikanter, bei den Kautestergebnissen ein hochsignifikanter Unterschied zwischen den beiden Gruppen. Konklusion: Eine eindeutige, negative Auswirkung eines insuffizienten Zahnersatzes auf MLQ und Ernährungszustand konnte nicht nachgewiesen werden. Der Komplex Lebensqualität und Ernährung wird durch multiple Faktoren beeinflusst, die Kauleistung repräsentiert nur einen Teilaspekt

Unquenched Charmonium with NRQCD - Lattice 2000

We present results from a series of NRQCD simulations of the charmonium system, both in the quenched approximation and with n_f = 2 dynamical quarks. The spectra show evidence for quenching effects of ~10% in the S- and P-hyperfine splittings. We compare this with other systematic effects. Improving the NRQCD evolution equation altered the S-hyperfine by as much as 20 MeV, and we estimate radiative corrections may be as large as 40%.Comment: Lattice 2000 (Heavy Quark Physics

Linking Scottish vital event records using family groups

Funding: This work was supported by ESRC Grants ES/K00574X/2 “Digitising Scotland” and ES/L007487/1 “Administrative Data Research Centre – Scotland.”The reconstitution of populations through linkage of historical records is a powerful approach to generate longitudinal historical microdata resources of interest to researchers in various fields. Here we consider automated linking of the vital events recorded in the civil registers of birth, death and marriage compiled in Scotland, to bring together the various records associated with the demographic events in the life course of each individual in the population. From the histories, the genealogical structure of the population can then be built up. Rather than apply standard linkage techniques to link the individuals on the available certificates, we explore an alternative approach, inspired by the family reconstitution techniques adopted by historical demographers, in which the births of siblings are first linked to form family groups, after which intergenerational links between families can be established. We report a small-scale evaluation of this approach, using two district-level data sets from Scotland in the late nineteenth century, for which sibling links have already been created by demographers. We show that quality measures of up to 83% can be achieved on these data sets (using F-Measure, a combination of precision and recall). In the future, we intend to compare the results with a standard linkage approach and to investigate how these various methods may be used in a project which aims to link the entire Scottish population from 1856 to 1973.PostprintPeer reviewe

An Integrated Approach for Characterizing Aerosol Climate Impacts and Environmental Interactions

Aerosols exert myriad influences on the earth's environment and climate, and on human health. The complexity of aerosol-related processes requires that information gathered to improve our understanding of climate change must originate from multiple sources, and that effective strategies for data integration need to be established. While a vast array of observed and modeled data are becoming available, the aerosol research community currently lacks the necessary tools and infrastructure to reap maximum scientific benefit from these data. Spatial and temporal sampling differences among a diverse set of sensors, nonuniform data qualities, aerosol mesoscale variabilities, and difficulties in separating cloud effects are some of the challenges that need to be addressed. Maximizing the long-term benefit from these data also requires maintaining consistently well-understood accuracies as measurement approaches evolve and improve. Achieving a comprehensive understanding of how aerosol physical, chemical, and radiative processes impact the earth system can be achieved only through a multidisciplinary, inter-agency, and international initiative capable of dealing with these issues. A systematic approach, capitalizing on modern measurement and modeling techniques, geospatial statistics methodologies, and high-performance information technologies, can provide the necessary machinery to support this objective. We outline a framework for integrating and interpreting observations and models, and establishing an accurate, consistent, and cohesive long-term record, following a strategy whereby information and tools of progressively greater sophistication are incorporated as problems of increasing complexity are tackled. This concept is named the Progressive Aerosol Retrieval and Assimilation Global Observing Network (PARAGON). To encompass the breadth of the effort required, we present a set of recommendations dealing with data interoperability; measurement and model integration; multisensor synergy; data summarization and mining; model evaluation; calibration and validation; augmentation of surface and in situ measurements; advances in passive and active remote sensing; and design of satellite missions. Without an initiative of this nature, the scientific and policy communities will continue to struggle with understanding the quantitative impact of complex aerosol processes on regional and global climate change and air quality

Tourism communities and social ties: the role of online and offline tourist social networks in building social capital and sustainable practice.

Mobile connectivity enables the adoption of new ways to connect with social networks which are changing how we might, and could, seek support. In the tourism domain we increasingly blend online and offline presence to engage with social networks in the spatial location, at a distance and across time. This paper explores the forms of community that exist in physical tourism contexts, contexts not previously analysed through a community lens, and explores how mobile technology is creating connections within and beyond existing social networks. It examines how sustainable tourism can be enhanced by mobile connectivity through new space-time practices and using ephemeral interpersonal relationships to harness niche groups to create bottom-up social systems interested in sharing experiences, ideas and resources. Special attention is given to the concept of gelling socialities which proposes a less ridged network structure, and to the need to understand the increasingly liquid social dynamics of mobile social interactions. The paper adds to the theories surrounding community, social ties and tourism’s value to society. It draws on data from in-depth interviews undertaken while designing and testing a collaborative travel app. It contributes to growing research into the new technologies increasingly available for sustainable tourism marketing and implementation

The Physical Activity 4 Everyone Cluster Randomized Trial : 2-Year Outcomes of a School Physical Activity Intervention Among Adolescents

Acknowledgments The Physical Activity 4 Everyone intervention trial was funded by the New South Wales Ministry of Health through the New South Wales Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grants Scheme and conducted by Hunter New England Population Health (a unit of the Hunter New England Local Health District), in collaboration with the University of Newcastle and University of Wollongong. Infrastructure support was provided by Hunter Medical Research Institute. The research team acknowledges the importance of making research data publically available. Access to the accelerometer data from this study may be made available to external collaborators following the development of data transfer agreements. Further results arising from the study can be found at www.goodforkids.nsw.gov.au/high-schools/. No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Between a reef and a hard place: capacity to map the next coral reef catastrophe

Increasing sea surface temperature and extreme heat events pose the greatest threat to coral reefs globally, with trends exceeding previous norms. The resultant mass bleaching events, such as those evidenced on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017, and 2020 have substantial ecological costs in addition to economic and social costs. Advancing remote (nanosatellites, rapid revisit traditional satellites) and in-field (drones) technological capabilities, cloud data processing, and analysis, coupled with existing infrastructure and in-field monitoring programs, have the potential to provide cost-effective and timely information to managers allowing them to better understand changes on reefs and apply effective remediation. Within a risk management framework for monitoring coral bleaching, we present an overview of how remote sensing can be used throughout the whole risk management cycle and highlight the role technological advancement has in earth observations of coral reefs for bleaching events

Red Supergiants as Cosmic Abundance Probes: massive star clusters in M83, and the mass-metallicity relation of nearby galaxies

We present an abundance analysis of seven super-star clusters in the disk of M83. The near-infrared spectra of these clusters are dominated by Red Supergiants, and the spectral similarity in the J-band of such stars at uniform metallicity means that the integrated light from the clusters may be analysed using the same tools as those applied to single stars. Using data from VLT/KMOS we estimate metallicities for each cluster in the sample. We find that the abundance gradient in the inner regions of M83 is flat, with a central metallicity of [Z] = 0.21$\pm$0.11 relative to a Solar value of $Z_\odot$=0.014, which is in excellent agreement with the results from an analysis of luminous hot stars in the same regions. Compiling this latest study with our other recent work, we construct a mass-metallicity relation for nearby galaxies based entirely on the analysis of RSGs. We find excellent agreement with the other stellar-based technique, that of blue supergiants, as well as with temperature-sensitive (`auroral' or `direct') \hii-region studies. Of all the HII-region strong-line calibrations, those which are empirically calibrated to direct-method studies (N2 and O3N2) provide the most consistent results