22 research outputs found
Ecoepidemiology of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Outbreak, Israel
A total of 161 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania tropica occurred in the Jerusalem district during 2004ā2005; 127 (79%) cases were in a town just outside Jerusalem. Environmental models suggest that in the context of global warming, this outbreak has the potential to extend into Jerusalem
Catastrophic photometric redshift errors: weak lensing survey requirements
We study the sensitivity of weak lensing surveys to the effects of
catastrophic redshift errors - cases where the true redshift is misestimated by
a significant amount. To compute the biases in cosmological parameters, we
adopt an efficient linearized analysis where the redshift errors are directly
related to shifts in the weak lensing convergence power spectra. We estimate
the number Nspec of unbiased spectroscopic redshifts needed to determine the
catastrophic error rate well enough that biases in cosmological parameters are
below statistical errors of weak lensing tomography. While the straightforward
estimate of Nspec is ~10^6 we find that using only the photometric redshifts
with z<=2.5 leads to a drastic reduction in Nspec to ~30,000 while negligibly
increasing statistical errors in dark energy parameters. Therefore, the size of
spectroscopic survey needed to control catastrophic errors is similar to that
previously deemed necessary to constrain the core of the z_s-z_p distribution.
We also study the efficacy of the recent proposal to measure redshift errors by
cross-correlation between the photo-z and spectroscopic samples. We find that
this method requires ~10% a priori knowledge of the bias and stochasticity of
the outlier population, and is also easily confounded by lensing magnification
bias. The cross-correlation method is therefore unlikely to supplant the need
for a complete spectroscopic redshift survey of the source population.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
The globular cluster system of the Milky Way: accretion in a cosmological context
We examine the significance of a planar arrangement in the spatial
distribution of the Milky Way's globular clusters (GCs). We find that, when
separated on the basis of horizontal branch morphology and metallicity, the
outer-most canonical young halo GC sample (at galactocentric radii in excess of
10 kpc) exhibit an anisotropic distribution that may be equated to a plane (24
+/- 4) kpc thick (rms) and inclined at 8 degrees +/- 5 degrees to the polar
axis of the Milky Way disk. To quantify the significance of this plane we
determine the fraction of times that an isotropic distribution replicates the
observed distribution in Monte-Carlo trials. The plane is found to remain
significant at the >95% level outside a galactocentric radius of 10 kpc, inside
this radius the spatial distribution is apparently isotropic. In contrast, the
spatial distribution of the old halo sample outside 10 kpc is well matched by
an isotropic distribution. The plane described by the outer young halo globular
clusters is indistinguishable in orientation from that presented by the
satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Simulations have shown that the planar
arrangement of satellites can arise as filaments of the surrounding large scale
structure feed into the Milky Way's potential. We therefore propose that our
results are direct observational evidence for the accreted origin of the outer
young halo globular cluster population. This conclusion confirms numerous lines
of evidence that have similarly indicated an accreted origin for this set of
clusters from the inferred cluster properties.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, ApJ accepte
Working Alongside: Communicating visual empathy within collaborative art therapy
Ā© 2023 Intellect Ltd. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1386/jaah_00129_1The terms working alongside, parallel artmaking, painting together and joint activity have been used to describe an innovative and experimental phase in art therapy practice that involves the art therapistās arts-based response towards the client either in one-to-one or groupwork contexts. This method involves the art therapistās artmaking within the relational dynamic and is done so to extend an arts-based connection with the client and further non-verbal communication through visual arts media. The approach described enables the therapist to enter a shared creative space using art as an improvised method to connect, interact, reflect or mirror the clientās art process. This article explores the scope of this practice approach and the importance of visual empathy, its contribution to clinical formulation and the role of clinical supervision in reflecting on the artwork to gain access to intersubjective experiences between the therapist, the client and their creative collaboration.Peer reviewe
RevMexAA (Serie de Conferencias), 12, 265--271 (2002)
Primordial nucleosynthesis provides a probe of the universal abundance of baryons when the universe was only a few minutes old. Recent observations of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) probe the baryon abundance when the universe was several hundred thousand years old. Observations of type Ia supernovae and clusters of galaxies in the very recent past, when the universe is several billion years old and older, provide a complementary measure of the baryon density in excellent agreement with the early universe values. The general agreement among the three measurements represents an impressive confirmation of the standard model of cosmology. However, there is a hint that the CMB observations may not be in perfect agreement with those from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). If this "tension" between BBN and the CMB persists, the standard model of cosmology may need to be modified. Here, in a contribution dedicated to Silvia Torres-Peimbert and Manuel Peimbert, we describe how an asymmetry between neutrinos and antineutrinos ("neutrino degeneracy") has the potential for resolving this possible conflict between BBN and the CMB
Community-Oriented Epidemic Preparedness and Response to the Jerusalem 2018ā2019 Measles Epidemic
Evaluation Methodology for Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection of Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems: an Overview
This paper provides an overview of the methodology approach developed by the Generation IV International Forum Expert Group on Proliferation Resistance & Physical Protection for evaluation of Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection robustness of Generation IV nuclear energy systems options.
The methodology considers a set of alternative systems and evaluates their resistance or robustness to a collection of potential threats. For the challenges considered, the response of the system to these challenges is assessed and expressed in terms of outcomes. The challenges to the system are given by the threats posed by potential proliferant States and sub-national adversaries on the nuclear systems.
The characteristics of the Generation IV systems, both technical and institutional, are used to evaluate their response to the threats and determine their resistance against the proliferation threats and robustness against sabotage and theft threats. System response encompasses three main elements:
1. System Element Identification. The nuclear energy system is decomposed into smaller elements (subsystems) at a level amenable to further analysis.
2. Target Identification and Categorization. A systematic process is used to identify and select representative targets for different categories of pathways, within each system element, that actors (proliferant States or adversaries) might choose to use or attack.
3. Pathway Identification and Refinement. Pathways are defined as potential sequences of events and actions followed by the proliferant State or adversary to achieve its objectives (proliferation, theft or sabotage). For each target, individual pathway segments are developed through a systematic process, analyzed at a high level, and screened where possible. Segments are connected into full pathways and analyzed in detail.
The outcomes of the system response are expressed in terms of PR&PP measures. Measures are high-level characteristics of a pathway that include information important to the evaluation methodology users and to the decisions of a proliferant State or adversary. They are first evaluated for segments and then aggregated for complete pathways. Results are aggregated as appropriate to permit pathway comparisons and system assessment.
The paper highlights the current achievements in the development of the Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection Evaluation Methodology. The way forward is also briefly presented together with some conclusions.JRC.G.8-Nuclear safeguard