27,026 research outputs found
Ranking the importance of nuclear reactions for activation and transmutation events
Pathways-reduced analysis is one of the techniques used by the Fispact-II
nuclear activation and transmutation software to study the sensitivity of the
computed inventories to uncertainties in reaction cross-sections. Although
deciding which pathways are most important is very helpful in for example
determining which nuclear data would benefit from further refinement,
pathways-reduced analysis need not necessarily define the most critical
reaction, since one reaction may contribute to several different pathways. This
work examines three different techniques for ranking reactions in their order
of importance in determining the final inventory, comparing the pathways based
metric (PBM), the direct method and one based on the Pearson correlation
coefficient. Reasons why the PBM is to be preferred are presented.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figure
A classification of New Zealand’s terrestrial ecosystems
This study produces a comprehensive terrestrial ecosystem classification by subjectively constructing a heirarchy of perceived key environmental drivers.
Introduction: The ecosystem concept is at the centre of international agreements, New Zealand legislation, and modern policy and planning systems that aim to sustainably manage natural resources. All definitions of ecosystems include the concept of the physical environment being integrated with its biotic components. Functionally, the concept embodies disturbance cycles, and flows of energy, nutrients and non-living materials, with these processes underpinning the concept of ecosystem health or integrity. Since these processes operate at variable spatio-temporal scales, and species and communities intergrade variably along environmental gradients, there is no single optimal scale at which to apply the ecosystem concept. Rather, the openness and hierarchical nature of ecosystem processes lead to any one classification scale being viewed as nested within coarser and finer scale components.
One of the goals of the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy is to ‘maintain and restore a full range of remaining habitats and ecosystems …’. However, although many environmental agencies and individuals can contribute to this goal, any investment decisions are currently being made in the absence of a comprehensive list of ecosystems or a systematic threat ranking. Therefore, classification of the full range of ecosystem types for New Zealand is overdue.
 
Latitudinal distribution and mitochondrial DNA (COI) variability of Stereotydeus spp. (Acari: Prostigmata) in Victoria Land and the central Transantarctic Mountains
We examined mitochondrial DNA (COI) variability and distribution of Stereotydeus spp. in Victoria Land and the Transantarctic Mountains, and constructed Neighbour Joining (NJ) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenetic trees using all publicly available COI sequences for the three Stereotydeus species present (S. belli, S. mollis and S. shoupi). We also included new COI sequences from Miers, Marshall and Garwood valleys in southern Victoria Land (78°S), as well as from the Darwin (79°S) and Beardmore Glacier (83°S) regions. Both NJ and ML methods produced trees which were similar in topology differing only in the placement of the single available S. belli sequence from Cape Hallett (72°S) and a S. mollis haplotype from Miers Valley. Pairwise sequence divergences among species ranged from 9.5–18.1%. NJ and ML grouped S. shoupi from the Beardmore Glacier region as sister to those from the Darwin with pairwise divergences of 8%. These individuals formed a monophyletic clade with high bootstrap support basal to S. mollis and S. belli. Based on these new data, we suggest that the distributional range of S. shoupi extends northward to Darwin Glacier and that a barrier to dispersal for Stereotydeus, and possibly other arthropods, exists immediately to the north of this area
An integrated care pathway for menorrhagia across the primary–secondary interface : patients' experience, clinical outcomes, and service utilisation
Background: ‘‘Referral’’ characterises a significant area of interaction between primary and secondary care.
Despite advantages, it can be inflexible, and may lead to duplication.
Objective: To examine the outcomes of an integrated model that lends weight to general practitioner (GP)-led
evidence based care.
Design: A prospective, non-random comparison of two services: women attending the new (Bridges) pathway
compared with those attending a consultant-led one-stop menstrual clinic (OSMC). Patients’ views were
examined using patient career diaries, health and clinical outcomes, and resource utilisation. Follow-up was
for 8 months.
Setting: A large teaching hospital and general practices within one primary care trust (PCT).
Results: Between March 2002 and June 2004, 99 women in the Bridges pathway were compared with 94
women referred to the OSMC by GPs from non-participating PCTs. The patient career diary demonstrated a
significant improvement in the Bridges group for patient information, fitting in at the point of arrangements
made for the patient to attend hospital (ease of access) (p,0.001), choice of doctor (p = 0.020), waiting time
for an appointment (p,0.001), and less ‘‘limbo’’ (patient experience of non-coordination between primary
and secondary care) (p,0.001). At 8 months there were no significant differences between the two groups in
surgical and medical treatment rates or in the use of GP clinic appointments. Significantly fewer (traditional)
hospital outpatient appointments were made in the Bridges group than in the OSMC group (p,0.001).
Conclusion: A general practice-led model of integrated care can significantly reduce outpatient attendance
while improving patient experience, and maintaining the quality of care
Positive psychology and romantic scientism: Reply to comments on Brown, Sokal, & Friedman (2013)
This is a response to five comments [American Psychologist 69, 626-629 and
632-635 (2014)] on our article arXiv:1307.7006.Comment: PDF, 9 page
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