Perceptions of success: a case study of planning for climate change in Shaktoolik, Alaska

Master's Project (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017Climate change planning is increasingly used in places like northwest Alaska where people are dealing with the effects of global climate change in dramatic and life altering ways. Planning for climate change often involves multiple actors from all levels of government working together with various goals, motivations, and perceptions of success. This research provides a perspective on what compelled the community of Shaktoolik to formally plan for climate change, documenting who they worked with throughout the process, the dynamics involved, and the outcomes created. I used a case study approach and qualitative methods in the form of participant observation, semi-structured interviews (n=26), and document analysis (n=18) to understand the ways in which community and non-community actors perceive successful climate adaptation planning in Shaktoolik, Alaska. I utilized seven dimensions of success from the literature to provide a framework during the data collection process and for data analysis. Due to a history of relocation in the region the community of Shaktoolik is familiar with adapting to the local environment, yet this is becoming more difficult as western infrastructure increases. In climate adaptation planning in Shaktoolik actors agreed on the roles different actors should play in planning for climate change at the community level. Additional findings include the importance of several key concepts such as social learning, social capital, leadership, and relationships among stakeholders. The climate adaptation planning model in Shaktoolik is moving in a positive direction and may be useful for other rural indigenous communities to replicate

Could the Pioneer anomaly have a gravitational origin?

If the Pioneer anomaly has a gravitational origin, it would, according to the equivalence principle, distort the motions of the planets in the Solar System. Since no anomalous motion of the planets has been detected, it is generally believed that the Pioneer anomaly can not originate from a gravitational source in the Solar System. However, this conclusion becomes less obvious when considering models that either imply modifications to gravity at long range or gravitational sources localized to the outer Solar System, given the uncertainty in the orbital parameters of the outer planets. Following the general assumption that the Pioneer spacecraft move geodesically in a spherically symmetric spacetime metric, we derive the metric disturbance that is needed in order to account for the Pioneer anomaly. We then analyze the residual effects on the astronomical observables of the three outer planets that would arise from this metric disturbance, given an arbitrary metric theory of gravity. Providing a method for comparing the computed residuals with actual residuals, our results imply that the presence of a perturbation to the gravitational field necessary to induce the Pioneer anomaly is in conflict with available data for the planets Uranus and Pluto, but not for Neptune. We therefore conclude that the motion of the Pioneer spacecraft must be non-geodesic. Since our results are model independent within the class of metric theories of gravity, they can be applied to rule out any model of the Pioneer anomaly that implies that the Pioneer spacecraft move geodesically in a perturbed spacetime metric, regardless of the origin of this metric disturbance.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures. Rev. 3: Major revision. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D. Rev. 4: Added two reference

QuantumReservoirPy: A Software Package for Time Series Prediction

In recent times, quantum reservoir computing has emerged as a potential resource for time series prediction. Hence, there is a need for a flexible framework to test quantum circuits as nonlinear dynamical systems. We have developed a software package to allow for quantum reservoirs to fit a common structure, similar to that of reservoirpy which is advertised as "a python tool designed to easily define, train and use (classical) reservoir computing architectures". Our package results in simplified development and logical methods of comparison between quantum reservoir architectures. Examples are provided to demonstrate the resulting simplicity of executing quantum reservoir computing using our software package

A signal detection analysis of contingency data

There are many psychological tasks that involve the pairing of binary variables. The various tasks used often address different questions and are motivated by different theoretical issues and traditions. Upon closer examination, however, the tasks are remarkably similar in structure. In the present paper, we examine two such tasks, the contingency judgment task and the signal detection task, and we apply a signal detection analysis to contingency judgment data. We suggest that the signal detection analysis provides a novel interpretation of a well-established but poorly understood phenomenon of contingency judgments-the outcome-density effect

ACCUMULATION AND RETENTION OF TRITIUM (TRITIATED WATER) IN EMBRYONIC AND LARVAL FISH, AND RADIATION EFFECT.

This report addresses the accumulation and retention of tritium in embryonic and larval fish, and radiation effec

Exploring life-space in the nursing home. An observational longitudinal study

Background Traditional performance-based measurements of mobility fail to recognize the interaction between the individual and their environment. Life-space (LS) forms a central element in the broader context of mobility and has received growing attention in gerontology. Still, knowledge on LS in the nursing home (NH) remains sparse. The aim of this study was to identify LS trajectories in people with dementia from time of NH admission, and explore characteristics associated with LS over time. Methods In total, 583 people with dementia were included at NH admission and assessed biannually for 3 years. LS was assessed using the Nursing Home Life-Space Diameter. Association with individual (age, sex, general medical health, number of medications, pain, physical performance, dementia severity, and neuropsychiatric symptoms) and environmental (staff-to-resident ratio, unit size, and quality of the physical environment) characterises was assessed. We used a growth mixture model to identify LS trajectories and linear mixed model was used to explore characteristics associated with LS over time. Results We identified four groups of residents with distinct LS trajectories, labelled Group 1 (n = 19, 3.5%), Group 2 (n = 390, 72.1%), Group 3 (n = 56, 10.4%), Group 4 (n = 76, 14.0%). Being younger, having good compared to poor general medical health, less severe dementia, more agitation, less apathy, better physical performance and living in a smaller unit were associated with a wider LS throughout the study period. Conclusion From NH admission most NH residents’ LS trajectory remained stable (Group 2), and their daily lives unfolded within their unit. Better physical performance and less apathy emerged as potentially modifiable characteristics associated with wider LS over time. Future studies are encouraged to determine whether LS trajectories in NH residents are modifiable, and we suggest that future research further explore the impact of environmental characteristics.publishedVersio

Effect of energy restriction and physical exercise intervention on phenotypic flexibility as examined by transcriptomics analyses of mRNA from adipose tissue and whole body magnetic resonance imaging.

Overweight and obesity lead to changes in adipose tissue such as inflammation and reduced insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to assess how altered energy balance by reduced food intake or enhanced physical activity affect these processes. We studied sedentary subjects with overweight/obesity in two intervention studies, each lasting 12 weeks affecting energy balance either by energy restriction (~20% reduced intake of energy from food) in one group, or by enhanced energy expenditure due to physical exercise (combined endurance- and strength-training) in the other group. We monitored mRNA expression by microarray and mRNA sequencing from adipose tissue biopsies. We also measured several plasma parameters as well as fat distribution with magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. Comparison of microarray and mRNA sequencing showed strong correlations, which were also confirmed using RT-PCR In the energy restricted subjects (body weight reduced by 5% during a 12 weeks intervention), there were clear signs of enhanced lipolysis as monitored by mRNA in adipose tissue as well as plasma concentration of free-fatty acids. This increase was strongly related to increased expression of markers for M1-like macrophages in adipose tissue. In the exercising subjects (glucose infusion rate increased by 29% during a 12-week intervention), there was a marked reduction in the expression of markers of M2-like macrophages and T cells, suggesting that physical exercise was especially important for reducing inflammation in adipose tissue with insignificant reduction in total body weight. Our data indicate that energy restriction and physical exercise affect energy-related pathways as well as inflammatory processes in different ways, probably related to macrophages in adipose tissue

Social and ethical checkpoints for bottom-up synthetic biology, or protocells

An alternative to creating novel organisms through the traditional “top-down” approach to synthetic biology involves creating them from the “bottom up” by assembling them from non-living components; the products of this approach are called “protocells.” In this paper we describe how bottom-up and top-down synthetic biology differ, review the current state of protocell research and development, and examine the unique ethical, social, and regulatory issues raised by bottom-up synthetic biology. Protocells have not yet been developed, but many expect this to happen within the next five to ten years. Accordingly, we identify six key checkpoints in protocell development at which particular attention should be given to specific ethical, social and regulatory issues concerning bottom-up synthetic biology, and make ten recommendations for responsible protocell science that are tied to the achievement of these checkpoints