Active and Passive Fields in Turbulent Transport: the Role of Statistically Preserved Structures

We have recently proposed that the statistics of active fields (which affect the velocity field itself) in well-developed turbulence are also dominated by the Statistically Preserved Structures of auxiliary passive fields which are advected by the same velocity field. The Statistically Preserved Structures are eigenmodes of eigenvalue 1 of an appropriate propagator of the decaying (unforced) passive field, or equivalently, the zero modes of a related operator. In this paper we investigate further this surprising finding via two examples, one akin to turbulent convection in which the temperature is the active scalar, and the other akin to magneto-hydrodynamics in which the magnetic field is the active vector. In the first example, all the even correlation functions of the active and passive fields exhibit identical scaling behavior. The second example appears at first sight to be a counter-example: the statistical objects of the active and passive fields have entirely different scaling exponents. We demonstrate nevertheless that the Statistically Preserved Structures of the passive vector dominate again the statistics of the active field, except that due to a dynamical conservation law the amplitude of the leading zero mode cancels exactly. The active vector is then dominated by the sub-leading zero mode of the passive vector. Our work thus suggests that the statistical properties of active fields in turbulence can be understood with the same generality as those of passive fields.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

A Preliminary Survey on the Effect of Anthropogenic Noise to Bird Community in Gaya Island

To date, there is still scarce study that has been done looking on the impact of the anthropogenic noise in influencing the bird community in Gaya Island as it acts as an important indicator for the health of the island’s ecosystem. Hence, this preliminary study aims to determine the effect of the anthropogenic noise on the bird community in Gaya Island. The data collection was conducted for three months in three of the selected sites within the island. The methods that were being used were the point count sampling and noise mapping respectively. The anthropogenic noise level that was being measured at the selected sites ranges from 29dB to 80dB. Meanwhile, descriptive analysis, diversity indexes and correlation analysis were used to analyze the obtained data. A total of 422 individuals from 24 species and 16 families were recorded during the survey in Gaya Island. The result of the Shannon Wiener index showed that the diversity of the birds in low anthropogenic noise zone is slightly higher (H’=2.559) as compared to the bird in high anthropogenic noise zone (H’= 2.558) even though there is no significant different in terms of diversity of birds between these two zones. However, the Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a very significant and negative correlation of the anthropogenic noise with the abundance and species richness of bird (r= -0.076, p=0.000). Therefore, this study shows that the bird community is negatively affected with the increasing of anthropogenic noise in Gaya Island

A review on the impact of anthropogenic noise on birds

This review addresses the impacts of noise, the vital role of acoustic communication and the response of birds in overcoming the increased anthropogenic noise. The rapid development in human activities nowadays induce the noise that interrupt the acoustic communication of birds. Disturbance of the signal’s transmission causes detrimental impact on the birds as they are highly depending on the acoustic communication for their survival, territory defense and reproduction. Continuous exposure of the noise then results in the declination of species richness of which have been stated by several past studies. Although most of the studies stated that the negative impact as a consequence from the anthropogenic noise, however there is positive effect contributed by the noise of which are also recorded in other studies. Moreover, the impacts of other variables such as vegetation density that cause major changes to the bird population as compared to noise have also been highlighted in several studies. This indicates that several influencing factors are important in measuring impact that lead to the changes which occur within the bird population. Thus, in depth studies on the impacts of anthropogenic noise towards the species of birds by taking into account other contributing variables are important to enable that noise management to be conducted effectively especially in developing areas as a way in conserving the biodiversity of the bird population

Pilot Testing Behavior Therapy for Chronic Tic Disorders in Neurology and Developmental Pediatrics Clinics

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) is an efficacious treatment with limited regional availability. As neurology and pediatric clinics are often the first point of therapeutic contact for individuals with tics, the present study assessed preliminary treatment response, acceptability, and feasibility of an abbreviated version, modified for child neurology and developmental pediatrics clinics. Fourteen youth (9-17) with Tourette disorder across 2 child neurology clinics and one developmental pediatrics clinic participated in a small case series. Clinician-rated tic severity (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale) decreased from pre- to posttreatment, z = –2.0, P \u3c .05, r = –.48, as did tic-related impairment, z = –2.4, P \u3c .05, r = –.57. Five of the 9 completers (56%) were classified as treatment responders. Satisfaction ratings were high, and therapeutic alliance ratings were moderately high. Results provide guidance for refinement of this modified CBIT protocol

Preliminary Analysis of in Utero Low-Level Arsenic Exposure and Fetal Growth Using Biometric Measurements Extracted from Fetal Ultrasound Reports

Background: Early life exposure to arsenic is associated with decreased birth weight in highly exposed populations but little is known about effects of low-level arsenic exposure on growth in utero. Methods: Using a sample of 272 pregnancies from New Hampshire we obtained biometric measurements directly from fetal ultrasound reports commonly found in electronic medical records. We used information extraction methods to develop and validate an automated approach for mining biometric measurements from the text of clinical reports. As a preliminary analysis, we examined associations between in utero low-level arsenic exposure (as measured by maternal urinary arsenic concentration) and fetal growth measures (converted to Z-scores based on reference populations for estimated fetal weight, head, and other body measures) at approximately 18 weeks of gestation. Results: In a preliminary cross-sectional analysis of 223 out of 272 pregnancies, maternal urinary arsenic concentration (excluding arsenobetaine) was associated with a reduction in head circumference Z-score (Spearman correlation coefficient, rs = -0.08, p-value = 0.21) and a stronger association was observed among female fetuses at approximately 18 weeks of gestation (rs = - 0.21, p-value \u3c 0.05). Although, associations were attenuated in adjusted analyses — among female fetuses a 1 μg/L increase in maternal urinary arsenic concentration was associated with a decrease of 0.047 (95% CI: -0.115, 0.021) in head circumference and 0.072 (95% CI: −0.151, 0.007) decrease in biparietal head diameter Z-score. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that useful data can be extracted directly from electronic medical records for epidemiologic research. We also found evidence that exposure to low-level arsenic may be associated with reduced head circumference in a sex dependent manner that warrants further investigation

Preliminary Analysis of in Utero Low-Level Arsenic Exposure and Fetal Growth Using Biometric Measurements Extracted from Fetal Ultrasound Reports

Background: Early life exposure to arsenic is associated with decreased birth weight in highly exposed populations but little is known about effects of low-level arsenic exposure on growth in utero. Methods: Using a sample of 272 pregnancies from New Hampshire we obtained biometric measurements directly from fetal ultrasound reports commonly found in electronic medical records. We used information extraction methods to develop and validate an automated approach for mining biometric measurements from the text of clinical reports. As a preliminary analysis, we examined associations between in utero low-level arsenic exposure (as measured by maternal urinary arsenic concentration) and fetal growth measures (converted to Z-scores based on reference populations for estimated fetal weight, head, and other body measures) at approximately 18 weeks of gestation. Results: In a preliminary cross-sectional analysis of 223 out of 272 pregnancies, maternal urinary arsenic concentration (excluding arsenobetaine) was associated with a reduction in head circumference Z-score (Spearman correlation coefficient, rs = -0.08, p-value = 0.21) and a stronger association was observed among female fetuses at approximately 18 weeks of gestation (rs = - 0.21, p-value \u3c 0.05). Although, associations were attenuated in adjusted analyses — among female fetuses a 1 μg/L increase in maternal urinary arsenic concentration was associated with a decrease of 0.047 (95% CI: -0.115, 0.021) in head circumference and 0.072 (95% CI: −0.151, 0.007) decrease in biparietal head diameter Z-score. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that useful data can be extracted directly from electronic medical records for epidemiologic research. We also found evidence that exposure to low-level arsenic may be associated with reduced head circumference in a sex dependent manner that warrants further investigation

A comparative study of frog species at streams, ridges and disturbed habitats in Base Camp and Padang Point, Gaya Island

The aim of this study was to identify the species of frogs that can be found at streams, ridges and disturbed habitats of Gaya Island. Field sampling was carried out for 16 nights consecutively starting from 18th January until 3rd February 2013. This research was conducted using the standard method of Visual Encounter Survey. The sampling effort for this study was 53 hours. Six sites representing three different frogs’ habitats were selected, namely streams, ridges and disturbed areas. The transect line with dimensions of 10m x 100m was used for the sampling survey. The results show that there were five species of frogs from two families that were present in Gaya Island. The five species were Inger’s dwarf frog (Ingerana baluensis), Grass frog (Fejervarya limnocharis), Mangrove frog (Fejervarya cancrivora), Green paddy frog (Hylarana erythraea) and Dark-eared tree frog (Polypedates macrotis). The highest number of frogs caught was in the stream area, consisting of 69 individuals, followed by 18 individuals at the disturbed area and two individuals at the ridges. This preliminary study indicated that there was a relationship between frog species diversity with the variety of the habitat sites. These findings present a baseline data for the frog species in Gaya Island. Future studies should be encouraged in order to have an in-depth understanding of the frogs’ natural habitats in Gaya Island

A comparative study of frog species streams, ridges anddisturbed habitas i9n base camp and padang point, Gaya Island

The aim of this study was to identify the species of frogs that can be found at streams, ridges and disturbed habitats of Gaya Island. Field sampling was carried out for 16 nights consecutively starting from 18thJanuary until 3rd February 2013. This research was conducted using the standard method of Visual Encounter Survey. The sampling effort for this study was 53 hours. Six sites representing three different frogs’ habitats were selected, namely streams, ridges and disturbed areas. The transect line with dimensions of 10m x 100m was used for the sampling survey. The results show that there were five species of frogs from two families that were present in Gaya Island. The five species were Inger’s dwarf frog (Ingerana baluensis), Grass frog (Fejervarya limnocharis), Mangrove frog (Fejervarya cancrivora), Green paddy frog (Hylarana erythraea) and Dark-eared tree frog (Polypedates macrotis). The highest number of frogs caught was in the stream area, consisting of 69 individuals, followed by 18 individuals at the disturbed area and two individuals at the ridges. This preliminary study indicated that there was a relationship between frog species diversity with the variety of the habitat sites. These findings present a baseline data for the frog species in Gaya Island. Future studies should be encouraged in order to have an in-depth understanding of the frogs’ natural habitats in Gaya Island

An Update on the Bird Population in Gaya Island

The ecosystem of small islands also plays a crucial role in serving as a habitat for birds especially the endemic and migratory birds. To date, there is still limited study that has been done in documenting the avian community in small islands such as Gaya Island in Sabah. Hence, this study aims to document and update the bird population by looking at the species richness and abundance of birds in Gaya Island. The method that was being used was solely standard point count method in three selected sampling trails for six months of survey. A total number of 524 individuals from 26 species and 17 families were recorded of which adding 16 species of birds from the past study. The value of the Shannon Wiener index and Simpson diversity index for the diversity of birds were 2.607 and 0.906 respectively. Interestingly two endemic species, two near threatened and one vulnerable species namely Philippine Megapode (Megapodius cumingii), White-crowned Shama (Copsychus strickladii), White-chested Babbler (Trichastoma rostratum), Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher (Rhinomyias umbratilis) and Great Slaty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus) were sighted during the survey. The result from this study showed that Gaya Island supports diverse species of birds and play a crucial transit location for migratory bird species. Hence, it indicates for the need of further bird conservation studies in the island