A note on parallel and pipeline computation of fast unitary transforms

The parallel and pipeline organization of fast unitary transform algorithms such as the Fast Fourier Transform are discussed. The efficiency is pointed out of a combined parallel-pipeline processor of a transform such as the Haar transform in which 2 to the n minus 1 power hardware butterflies generate a transform of order 2 to the n power every computation cycle

Black-Legged Tick Distributions, Small Mammal Abundances, Mast Production, and Vegetative Influences on Lyme Disease Apparent Prevalence on Fort Drum Military Installation, New York

Lyme disease is the most common infectious disease spread by black-legged ticks in the Northern Hemisphere. Lyme disease is a vector-borne zoonotic disease typically caused by bacterial spirochetes of the species Borrelia burgdorferi. The primary vector of Lyme disease in the Midwestern and eastern United States is Ixodes scapularis, the deer or black-legged tick. Although there are several preventative measures against ticks that carry Lyme disease, such as public education regarding personal protection (e.g., wearing light colored clothing, tucking pants into socks, wearing repellent, promptly inspecting oneself to remove ticks, getting pets vaccinated) and recommended control measures, it is important to understand how the disease is transmitted and which factors increase the potential risk of contracting the disease. Even with these preventative measures, which are not necessarily available worldwide, tick-borne diseases are increasing both in numbers and impact to the overall human population, and there are still several knowledge gaps and conflicting findings that need to be elucidated. For these reasons, there exists a need for further research on Lyme disease ecology to identify steps necessary to decrease disease prevalence and reduce human exposure. I conducted a field study on the Cantonment Area of Fort Drum Military Installation, New York, which is representative of a suburban community with multiple cover types. From May 2015--November 2016 I surveyed the Cantonment Area to evaluate the basic distributions of Ixodes scapularis and small mammal host species, their relationships with vegetative characteristics, and associated Lyme disease apparent prevalence. This will allow resource managers to assess and communicate the likelihood of encountering a Lyme-positive tick and to take necessary actions to minimize that risk. Specifically, our objective was to assess the apparent prevalence of Lyme disease based on the distributions and indice of abundance of the vector and host populations on Fort Drum.;I used tick drags to evaluate black-legged tick temporal and spatial distributions in six different cover types discriminated by developmental stage. Total index of tick abundance was related to (1) temperature, (2) humidity, (3) coarse woody debris, (4) leaf litter depth, (5) tree species richness (6) average tree dbh, and (7) patch size. Adult index of abundance was greatest in the spring and fall, while nymph index of abundance was greatest in early summer and larval index of abundance was greatest at the end of summer. Tick and Lyme-positive tick indices of abundance were greatest in the coniferous and mixed cover type and lowest in the shrub and deciduous cover type. Overall Lyme disease apparent prevalence on the Cantonment Area of Fort Drum was 35% (434/1246). These results provide objective criteria for understanding a baseline of tick distributions on a temporal and spatial scale, and assist in developing management recommendations to decrease Lyme disease apparent prevalence on the landscape.;I used Sherman and Tomahawk traps to capture individuals from the overall small mammal host community during June--August. The small mammal community was composed mostly of Peromyscus sp. (n = 79; 38%), chipmunk (n = 59; 28%), red squirrel (n = 33; 16%), gray squirrel (n = 18; 9%). Trapping success, as well as Simpson\u27s and Shannon\u27s indices of diversity were greatest in the developed and coniferous forest cover types. Indices of abundance of small mammals were greatest in the developed cover type, followed by coniferous forest. We modeled the relation between estimated index of abundance of ticks with the estimated index of abundance of all small mammal host species, as well as the relationship between estimated index of abundance of Lyme-positive ticks and small mammal host Simpson\u27s and Shannon\u27s indices of diversity. Although Peromyscus sp. had a greater number of individuals with tick burdens, there was significantly greater estimated index of abundance of Lyme-positive tick burdens on chipmunks. Furthermore, a significantly greater proportion of sampled chipmunks (58%) had Lyme-positive ear punches.;My results suggest that habitat management in the coniferous and mixed forest that target vector and host habitat is necessary in order to decrease Lyme disease prevalence and reduce risk of human exposure. Recommendations such as removal of the leaf/pine litter and coarse woody debris, which provide stable microhabitat for ticks and small mammals alike, a selective cut of large conifer trees, allowing sunlight and wind penetration that encourages tick desiccation, and creating and mowing grassland barrier habitat between human developed areas and forested areas are possible solutions for decreasing Lyme disease prevalence and human risk of exposure on the landscape. Public education seminars regarding black-legged tick spatial and temporal distributions, as well as explaining recommended control measures for personal property should also be developed in order to communicate Lyme disease risk to residents on Fort Drum Military Installation

Relating Predator Community Ecology and Duck Nest Survival in Eastern South Dakota

As conversion of native grasslands and wetlands to croplands continues in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), managers are tasked with maintaining sustainable waterfowl populations. Mesopredator community dynamics is a hypothesized mechanism driving spatiotemporal variation of waterfowl nest survival in the PPR, yet studies often lack detailed information on mesopredator species occurrence and abundance. Therefore, understanding spatial and temporal variation in behaviors of mesopredators provides valuable insights for understanding predator-prey interactions between mesopredators and upland duck nests. Further, differences in a predator community resulting from lethal removal of dominant species may influence composition and space use patterns of subordinate and non-target mesopredators, potentially affecting prey through mesopredator release. Our study was conducted in two counties in eastern South Dakota, one with ongoing standardized annual coyote removal (i.e., Faulk; the treatment county) for the last 30 years, and the other receiving no standardized coyote removal (i.e., Hand; the control county). To quantify the nest predator community and potential interactions among mesopredators, I deployed 4 camera trapping surveys, each 3 weeks in length, conducted during the nesting seasons each year (i.e., May–July, 2018–2020). I evaluated species-specific detection and occupancy patterns, then explored co-occupancy relationships among mesopredator species (i.e., coyotes [Canis latrans], striped skunks [Mephitis mephitis], raccoons [Procyon lotor], and American badger [Taxidea taxus]). To evaluate spatiotemporal changes in resource selection and movements, I used integrated step-selection functions from radio-marked mesopredators. Lastly, I simultaneously searched for and monitored nests, and incorporated developed predator-derived covariates from occupancy models and integrated step-selection functions with associated landscape characteristics to compare with direct nest site metrics in logistic exposure nest survival models to understand predator-prey interactions. We found that mesopredators increased movement rates and home range size during periods when common resources were in shorter supply. Across the study area, detection probabilities of mesopredators were 1.7-7.1 times greater in 2018, when duck nest densities were lowest, and 5.2-7.1 times higher during early-season surveys (May) when food resources (i.e., nests, small mammals, invertebrates, vegetation) were expected to be sparse compared to summer. These results suggest individuals increased movement frequencies or distances to locate sufficient food resources or to avoid negative interspecific interactions. Observed elevated detection rates at times of lower food resources (i.e., early spring and in 2018) coincided with greater average step lengths and daily movement rates of radio-marked raccoons and striped skunks during the prenesting period compared to other times of the year, as well as greater average home range size and daily movement rates of raccoons in 2018 compared with subsequent years. Similarly, 2018 was associated with greatest probabilities of mesopredator co-occurrence, suggesting that low food resource availability may aggregate sympatric species. Coexistence of mesopredators corresponded with spatiotemporal segregation of similar selection and movement patterns by sympatric mesopredator species throughout the nesting periods and in both counties for landscape characteristics associated with waterfowl nest site selection and high nest density. Further, direct species overlap of space use was mostly observed during the post-nesting period, when food resource abundances were suspected to be highest. Mesopredators would behave similarly in relation to a landscape characteristic but in different counties or different nesting periods which allowed for niche partitioning, avoidance of negative interspecific species interactions via increased movements, or both, allowing for sympatric species to coexist when food resources are scarce and presents an elevated risk of nest failure earlier in the nesting season. Because our study area comprised two counties with suspected differences in coyote densities due to the presence/absence of active coyote removal management (i.e., coyote occupancy in the treatment county was 44% lower compared to the control county), it allowed an opportunity to test predictions of the mesopredator release hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that if densities of the dominant predator are reduced (e.g., annual lethal removal of coyotes), densities or movements of subordinate predators should increase since the need to alter behaviors to avoid negative interactions is comparatively reduced. Raccoon occupancy probability was 30% greater in the treatment compared to the control county. Average home range size and daily movements of raccoons and coyotes were greater in the treatment county than in the control county. Additionally, in the treatment county, detection probability of a member of the nest predator guild was not different when a coyote was present or absent nor if a coyote was detected or not, potentially implying the reduced density, distribution, and/or movements of coyotes did not influence those of other mesopredators. Further, spatiotemporal differences in selection and movement between coyotes and smaller mesopredators (e.g., raccoons and striped skunks) were largely not observed in the treatment county, indicating coyotes were not depressing or influencing the behaviors of other mesopredator species which would thereby suggest a presence of mesopredator release. Alternatively, in the control county, spatiotemporal differences in selection and movement between coyotes and smaller mesopredators were widely observed and indicate that subordinate species may have altered their space use to avoid or decrease encounters when coyotes were at greater densities. Such behavior would presumably minimize a predation risk effect as a result of higher coyote densities that were due to a lack of standardized coyote removal management. Importantly, our study provided support that standardized annual coyote removal (i.e., the treatment county) induced mesopredator release and indirectly reduced nest survival via increased occupancy, greater movements, more extensive space use by subordinate mesopredators due to decreased interspecific competition. To this end, daily duck nest survival rates were 0.965 (95% CI = 0.961, 0.969) in the treatment county compared to 0.974 (95% CI = 0.971, 0.978) in the control county. Finally, our study revealed that, in the context of a productive landscape with ample and evenly distributed food resources and seasonal nest success rates that exceed sustainable management levels (i.e., all county and waterfowl species estimates were \u3e25%), direct nest site metrics were sufficient in quantifying landscape and patch characteristics that influence nest survival. Although predator-derived covariates better explained variation in daily nest survival for distance to nearest surface water and patch area landscape characteristics compared to direct nest site metrics, predator-derived covariates were not present in the most supported nest survival model. However, our findings reflected those from other studies; the relationship between nest survival and fate of nearest neighboring nest at time of the nest searching effort, as well as observed and common prey searching behavior of mesopredators during the core nesting period and in relation to landscape characteristics associated with increased food resource availability and nest site selection by ducks (i.e., based on habitat characteristics and or on the local density of conspecifics), suggests that mesopredators may key in on specific prey once encountering it and congregate in areas of high nest density. Our results also support previous studies in that nest depredation events are diluted in patches with higher nest densities as well as camouflaged from mesopredators when patches have taller grass heights around the nest. By investigating and evaluating mechanisms that drive nest survival, I hope our research helps to inform future management endeavors to be efficient and effective. Further, while several studies have found that removing predators from the landscape resulted in increased duck nest survival, our study will help guide and inform management decisions on focal predator species, timing, and associated landscape characteristics of such strategies. And lastly, by overlaying simultaneous predator-prey geospatial data, our project can assist in the prioritization of patches for habitat management and restoration efforts that benefit upland game bird productivity

The COVID-19 Own Risk Appraisal Scale (CORAS): development and validation in two samples from the United Kingdom

Perceived risk is an important determinant of the adoption of preventive behaviours. In this article, the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Own Risk Appraisal Scale (CORAS), including its development and validation in two samples in the United Kingdom, are described. The CORAS is a measure of perceived personal risk of contracting the disease, incorporating primarily intuitive with some analytic risk estimates. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on data from 470 participants in the United Kingdom who completed the CORAS, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours Index. Results showed that a unidimensional, six-item model fits the data well, with satisfactory fit indices, internal consistency and high item loadings onto the factor. We found no statistically significant differences by age, gender or ethnicity. The CORAS correlated positively with the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours Index, suggesting good concurrent validity

Three Essays on Illegal and Temporary Migration

My dissertation focuses on two of the most important aspects concerning migration, from a host country point of view: undocumented immigration on the one hand, and temporary versus permanent immigration on the other hand. The thread of my work is the issue of immigrants integration in the destination country. In particular, I deal with integration in labor market, in consumption patterns and in natives\u2019 sentiments towards immigrants

Weak Mirror Symmetry of Complex Symplectic Algebras

A complex symplectic structure on a Lie algebra \lie h is an integrable complex structure $J$ with a closed non-degenerate $(2,0)$-form. It is determined by $J$ and the real part $\Omega$ of the $(2,0)$-form. Suppose that \lie h is a semi-direct product \lie g\ltimes V, and both \lie g and $V$ are Lagrangian with respect to $\Omega$ and totally real with respect to $J$. This note shows that \lie g\ltimes V is its own weak mirror image in the sense that the associated differential Gerstenhaber algebras controlling the extended deformations of $\Omega$ and $J$ are isomorphic. The geometry of $(\Omega, J)$ on the semi-direct product \lie g\ltimes V is also shown to be equivalent to that of a torsion-free flat symplectic connection on the Lie algebra \lie g. By further exploring a relation between $(J, \Omega)$ with hypersymplectic algebras, we find an inductive process to build families of complex symplectic algebras of dimension $8n$ from the data of the $4n$-dimensional ones.Comment: 22 page

“I Can’t Do without You”: Treatment Perspectives for Affective Dependence: A Scoping Review

Affective Dependence (AD) is a problematic model of the love relationship that is becoming increasingly prevalent and evident in the context of couple relationships. Similarly, the phenomenon is being observed with growing frequency in daily clinical practice, making it increasingly neces sary to identify treatment guidelines that can help clinicians in dealing with AD, while waiting for the literature to reach a consensus on its definition and nosographic profile. The main objective of this work is to explore the existing evidence of effectiveness regarding feasible treatments for Affective Dependence through a scoping review of the international literature carried out using the main scientific databases and following the PRISMA-ScR (PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Seven studies were included in this review, and the results show that several pharmaceu ticals, as well as different types of individual and group therapies, are proposed as treatment plans for AD. However, there is a lack of clinical trials that can verify the efficacy of the AD treatments reported so far in the literature. Some reflections that may help to distinguish a “healthy” addiction from a dysfunctional or markedly pathological one are considered alongside potential prevention perspectives

Use of the margin of stability to quantify stability in pathologic gait - a qualitative systematic review

BACKGROUND: The Margin of Stability (MoS) is a widely used objective measure of dynamic stability during gait. Increasingly, researchers are using the MoS to assess the stability of pathological populations to gauge their stability capabilities and coping strategies, or as an objective marker of outcome, response to treatment or disease progression. The objectives are; to describe the types of pathological gait that are assessed using the MoS, to examine the methods used to assess MoS and to examine the way the MoS data is presented and interpreted. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines (PRISMA) in the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, UCL Library Explore, Cochrane Library, Scopus. All articles measured the MoS of a pathologically affected adult human population whilst walking in a straight line. Extracted data were collected per a prospectively defined list, which included: population type, method of data analysis and model building, walking tasks undertaken, and interpretation of the MoS. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies were included in the final review. More than 15 different clinical populations were studied, most commonly post-stroke and unilateral transtibial amputee populations. Most participants were assessed in a gait laboratory using motion capture technology, whilst 2 studies used instrumented shoes. A variety of centre of mass, base of support and MoS definitions and calculations were described. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic review to assess use of the MoS and the first to consider its clinical application. Findings suggest the MoS has potential to be a helpful, objective measurement in a variety of clinically affected populations. Unfortunately, the methodology and interpretation varies, which hinders subsequent study comparisons. A lack of baseline results from large studies mean direct comparison between studies is difficult and strong conclusions are hard to make. Further work from the biomechanics community to develop reporting guidelines for MoS calculation methodology and a commitment to larger baseline studies for each pathology is welcomed

COVID-19 preventive behaviours in White British and Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the UK

A model of the effects of ethnicity, political trust, trust in science, perceived ingroup power, COVID-19 risk, and fear of COVID-19 upon likelihood of COVID-19 preventive behaviour (CPB) is presented. The structural equation model was a good fit for survey data from 478 White British and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people. Ethnicity had a direct effect on CPB (BAME reported higher CPB) and an indirect effect on it through political trust, ingroup power, COVID-19 risk and trust in science. Ethnicity was not significantly related to COVID-19 fear. COVID-19 fear and trust in science were positively associated with CPB