Impacts of community-based natural resource management on wealth, food security and child health in Tanzania

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is a major global strategy for enhancing conservation outcomes while also seeking to improve rural livelihoods; however, little evidence of socioeconomic outcomes exists. We present a national-level analysis that empirically estimates socioeconomic impacts of CBNRM across Tanzania, while systematically controlling for potential sources of bias. Specifically, we apply a difference-indifferences model to national-scale, cross-sectional data to estimate the impact of three different CBNRM governance regimes on wealth, food security and child health, considering differential impacts of CBNRM on wealthy and poor populations. We also explore whether or not longer-standing CBNRM efforts provide more benefits than recently-established CBNRM areas. Our results show significant improvements in household food security in CBNRM areas compared with non-CBNRM areas, but household wealth and health outcomes in children are generally not significantly different. No one CBNRM governance regime demonstrates consistently different welfare outcomes than the others. Wealthy households benefit more from CBNRM than poor households and CBNRM benefits appear to increase with longer periods of implementation. Perhaps evidence of CBNRM benefits is limited because CBNRM hasn\u27t been around long enough to yield demonstrable outcomes. Nonetheless, achieving demonstrable benefits to rural populations will be crucial for CBNRM\u27s future success in Tanzania. Copyright

Gaia Focused Product Release: Spatial distribution of two diffuse interstellar bands

Diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are absorption features seen in optical and infrared spectra of stars that are probably caused by large and complex molecules in the ISM. Here we investigate the Galactic distribution and properties of two DIBs identified in almost six million stellar spectra collected by the Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer. These measurements constitute a part of the Gaia Focused Product Release to be made public between the Gaia DR3 and DR4 data releases. In order to isolate the DIB signal from the stellar features in each individual spectrum, we identified a set of 160 000 spectra at high Galactic latitudes which we consider to be the DIB-free reference sample. Matching each target spectrum to its closest reference spectra in stellar parameter space allowed us to remove the stellar spectrum empirically, without reference to stellar models, leaving a set of six million ISM spectra. Identifying the two DIBs at 862.1 nm and 864.8 nm in the stacked spectra, we modelled their shapes and report the depth, central wavelength, width, and equivalent width (EW) for each, along with confidence bounds on these measurements. Our main results are as follows: (1) the strength and spatial distribution of the DIB $\lambda$862.1 are very consistent with what was found in Gaia DR3, but for this work we attained a higher signal-to-noise ratio in the stacked spectra to larger distances, which allowed us to trace DIBs in the outer spiral arm and beyond the Scutum--Centaurus spiral arm; (2) we produced an all-sky map below ${\pm}65^{\circ}$ of Galactic latitude to $\sim$4000 pc of both DIB features and their correlations; (3) we detected the signals of DIB\,$\lambda$862.1 inside the Local Bubble; and (4) there is a reasonable correlation with the dust reddening found from stellar absorption and EWs of both DIBs.Comment: 29 pages, accepted for publication in A&

Eclogite or jadeitite: The two colours involved in the transfer of alpine axeheads in western Europe

During the 5th and 4th millennia BC, the Neolithic extraction of stone around Mont Viso and in the Mont Beigua massif in the north Italian Alps resulted in the production of large polished axeheads in ecologite, omphacitite, jadeitite and amphibolite - raw materials which were not only rare but which also have remarkable mechanical and aesthetic properties. These axeheads circulated around western Europe over great distances and in particular, between the Alps, the Atlantic and the North Sea. Among these Alpine jades, research suggests a tendency for different raw materials to be represented in different geographic areas. Axeheads and other items made from dark-coloured rocks from the family of eclogites and omphacitites tend to predominate in the Paris Basin, in Germany and in Great Britain and Ireland. This paper documents the manufacture, circulation and deposition of different types of Alpine axeheads over time. More specifically, it discusses observed trends in relation to variability in the supply of raw materials and finished objects, the nature of regional traditions and long-distance transfer, and ultimately, the changing significance of axeheads as socially valorized artefacts

<i>Gaia</i> Data Release 1. Summary of the astrometric, photometric, and survey properties

Context. At about 1000 days after the launch of Gaia we present the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, consisting of astrometry and photometry for over 1 billion sources brighter than magnitude 20.7. Aims. A summary of Gaia DR1 is presented along with illustrations of the scientific quality of the data, followed by a discussion of the limitations due to the preliminary nature of this release. Methods. The raw data collected by Gaia during the first 14 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into an astrometric and photometric catalogue. Results. Gaia DR1 consists of three components: a primary astrometric data set which contains the positions, parallaxes, and mean proper motions for about 2 million of the brightest stars in common with the HIPPARCOS and Tycho-2 catalogues – a realisation of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) – and a secondary astrometric data set containing the positions for an additional 1.1 billion sources. The second component is the photometric data set, consisting of mean G-band magnitudes for all sources. The G-band light curves and the characteristics of ∼3000 Cepheid and RR-Lyrae stars, observed at high cadence around the south ecliptic pole, form the third component. For the primary astrometric data set the typical uncertainty is about 0.3 mas for the positions and parallaxes, and about 1 mas yr−1 for the proper motions. A systematic component of ∼0.3 mas should be added to the parallax uncertainties. For the subset of ∼94 000 HIPPARCOS stars in the primary data set, the proper motions are much more precise at about 0.06 mas yr−1. For the secondary astrometric data set, the typical uncertainty of the positions is ∼10 mas. The median uncertainties on the mean G-band magnitudes range from the mmag level to ∼0.03 mag over the magnitude range 5 to 20.7. Conclusions. Gaia DR1 is an important milestone ahead of the next Gaia data release, which will feature five-parameter astrometry for all sources. Extensive validation shows that Gaia DR1 represents a major advance in the mapping of the heavens and the availability of basic stellar data that underpin observational astrophysics. Nevertheless, the very preliminary nature of this first Gaia data release does lead to a number of important limitations to the data quality which should be carefully considered before drawing conclusions from the data

In vivo measurement of skin surface strain and sub-surface layer deformation induced by natural tissue stretching.

Stratum corneum and epidermal layers change in terms of thickness and roughness with gender, age and anatomical site. Knowledge of the mechanical and tribological properties of skin associated with these structural changes are needed to aid in the design of exoskeletons, prostheses, orthotics, body mounted sensors used for kinematics measurements and in optimum use of wearable on-body devices. In this case study, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and digital image correlation (DIC) were combined to determine skin surface strain and sub-surface deformation behaviour of the volar forearm due to natural tissue stretching. The thickness of the epidermis together with geometry changes of the dermal-epidermal junction boundary were calculated during change in the arm angle, from flexion (90°) to full extension (180°). This posture change caused an increase in skin surface Lagrange strain, typically by 25% which induced considerable morphological changes in the upper skin layers evidenced by reduction of epidermal layer thickness (20%), flattening of the dermal-epidermal junction undulation (45-50% reduction of flatness being expressed as Ra and Rz roughness profile height change) and reduction of skin surface roughness Ra and Rz (40-50%). The newly developed method, DIC combined with OCT imaging, is a powerful, fast and non-invasive methodology to study structural skin changes in real time and the tissue response provoked by mechanical loading or stretching

An Introduction to EEG Source Analysis with an illustration of a study on Error-Related Potentials

International audienceOver the last twenty years blind source separation (BSS) has become a fundamental signal processing tool in the study of human electroencephalography (EEG), other biological data, as well as in many other signal processing domains such as speech, images, geophysics and wireless communication (Comon and Jutten, 2010). Without relying on head modeling BSS aims at estimating both the waveform and the scalp spatial pattern of the intracranial dipolar current responsible of the observed EEG, increasing the sensitivity and specificity of the signal received from the electrodes on the scalp. This chapter begins with a short review of brain volume conduction theory, demonstrating that BSS modeling is grounded on current physiological knowledge. We then illustrate a general BSS scheme requiring the estimation of second-order statistics (SOS) only. A simple and efficient implementation based on the approximate joint diagonalization of covariance matrices (AJDC) is described. The method operates in the same way in the time or frequency domain (or both at the same time) and is capable of modeling explicitly physiological and experimental source of variations with remarkable flexibility. Finally, we provide a specific example illustrating the analysis of a new experimental study on error-related potentials

What do parents perceive are the barriers and facilitators to accessing psychological treatment for mental health problems in children and adolescents? A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies

A minority of children and adolescents with mental health problems access treatment. The reasons for poor rates of treatment access are not well understood. As parents are a key gatekeeper to treatment access, it is important to establish parents’ views of barriers/facilitators to accessing treatment. The aims of this study are to synthesise findings from qualitative and quantitative studies that report parents’ perceptions of barriers/facilitators to accessing treatment for mental health problems in children/adolescents. A systematic review and narrative synthesis were conducted. Forty-four studies were included in the review and were assessed in detail. Parental perceived barriers/facilitators relating to (1) systemic/structural issues; (2) views and attitudes towards services and treatment; (3) knowledge and understanding of mental health problems and the help-seeking process; and (4) family circumstances were identified. Findings highlight avenues for improving access to child mental health services, including increased provision that is free to service users and flexible to their needs, with opportunities to develop trusting, supportive relationships with professionals. Furthermore, interventions are required to improve parents’ identification of mental health problems, reduce stigma for parents, and increase awareness of how to access services

Ultracool dwarfs in Gaia DR3

Aims. In this work we use the Gaia DR3 set of ultracool dwarf candidates and complement the Gaia spectrophotometry with additional photometry in order to characterise its global properties. This includes the inference of the distances, their locus in the Gaia colour-absolute magnitude diagram and the (biased through selection) luminosity function in the faint end of the Main Sequence. We study the overall changes in the Gaia RP spectra as a function of spectral type. We study the UCDs in binary systems, attempt to identify low-mass members of nearby young associations, star forming regions and clusters, and analyse their variability properties. Results. We detect 57 young, kinematically homogeneous groups some of which are identified as well known star forming regions, associations and clusters of different ages. We find that the primary members of 880 binary systems with a UCD belong mainly to the thin and thick disk components of the Milky Way. We identify 1109 variable UCDs using the variability tables in the Gaia archive, 728 of which belong to the star forming regions defined by HMAC. We define two groups of variable UCDs with extreme bright or faint outliers. Conclusions. The set of sources identified as UCDs in the Gaia archive contains a wealth of information that will require focused follow-up studies and observations. It will help to advance our understanding of the nature of the faint end of the Main Sequence and the stellar/substellar transition.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics. 29 pages, 20 figures plus 3 appendice

Skin tribology: Science friction?

The application of tribological knowledge is not just restricted to optimizing mechanical and chemical engineering problems. In fact, effective solutions to friction and wear related questions can be found in our everyday life. An important part is related to skin tribology, as the human skin is frequently one of the interacting surfaces in relative motion. People seem to solve these problems related to skin friction based upon a trial-and-error strategy and based upon on our sense for touch. The question of course rises whether or not a trained tribologist would make different choices based upon a science based strategy? In other words: Is skin friction part of the larger knowledge base that has been generated during the last decades by tribology research groups and which could be referred to as Science Friction? This paper discusses the specific nature of tribological systems that include the human skin and argues that the living nature of skin limits the use of conventional methods. Skin tribology requires in vivo, subject and anatomical location specific test methods. Current predictive friction models can only partially be applied to predict in vivo skin friction. The reason for this is found in limited understanding of the contact mechanics at the asperity level of product-skin interactions. A recently developed model gives the building blocks for enhanced understanding of friction at the micro scale. Only largely simplified power law based equations are currently available as general engineering tools. Finally, the need for friction control is illustrated by elaborating on the role of skin friction on discomfort and comfort. Surface texturing and polymer brush coatings are promising directions as they provide way and means to tailor friction in sliding contacts without the need of major changes to the produc

Évolution de la contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb

Ce document décrit l'évolution de la contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb. Il s'inscrit dans le prolongement de la Lettre d'Intention [1], du Framework TDR [2], du document soumis au Conseil scientifique de l'IN2P3 le 21 juin 2012 [3], et des Technical Design Reports soumis au LHCC en novembre 2013 [4, 5]. Ces derniers concernent le détecteur de vertex et les détecteurs utilisés dans l'identification des particules. La contribution française s'est cristallisée autour de quatre grands projets : l'électronique front-end des calorimètres et du trajectographe à fibres scintillantes, le système de déclenchement de premier niveau et la carte de lecture à 40MHz commune à l'ensemble des sous-systèmes. Dans ce document nous décrivons les contributions envisagées et les ressources nécessaires pour mener à bien ces projets