Wildland Fire Location Management System (WFLMS)

Wildland firefighters work in complex, dangerous environments where effective communication is key to developing situational awareness. Currently, the only communication firefighters have is with Very High Frequency (VHF) 160 MHz band analog radios. While digital radio protocols could potentially allow location data and commands to be sent to field crews, the technology is primarily for voice communication. This project presents a new system that frees up voice channels and uses LoRa transceivers for robust communication. The system allows for emergency and location reports to be sent to a dispatcher via an airborne repeater. The entire system is software-defined, so it can be updated as firefighter needs evolve

Modelling the energy gap in transition metal/aluminium bilayers"

We present an application of the generalised proximity effect theory.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, presented at workshop on low temperature superconducting electronics at the University of Twente, The Netherland

Social Support and Links to Quality of Life Among Middle and Older Age Autistic Adults

Social support has a positive impact on quality of life (QoL) in neurotypical older adults and young autistic adults, but the association for older autistic adults is unclear. Autistic adults (n=388; mean age=40-83 years) were recruited via Simons Powering Autism Research for Knowledge research match. Participants completed questionnaires online querying demographic information, depression and anxiety symptomatology, QoL (Physical, Psychological, Social, Environmental, Autism-specific) and social support (instrumental, subjective and social interactions). Regression analyses examined whether different aspects of social support explained the variance in each domain of QoL. A significant proportion of the variance (36-58%) in QoL was explained. Subjective social support significantly contributed to the models for all aspects of QoL; Physical and Psychological QoL were also explained by social interactions, whereas Social, Environmental and Autism-specific QoL were additionally explained by instrumental support. Social support is an important contributor to the QoL of middle-aged and older autistic adults, after accounting for demographic factors and depression. Further studies are required to understand whether age-related changes in social support and QoL are the same for autistic as non-autistic older adults in order to identify and implement appropriate support

Assessment and Improvement of the Efficiency of Nitrogen Use on Commercial Dairy Farms

Dairy farming systems have a low efficiency of converting nitrogen (N) into milk protein, due to the many transfers which occur in the production process. Losses of N from the system can be detrimental to the environment and represent wasted inputs. At SAC, in a systems research project, management changes achieved increases in nitrogen efficiency (milk N output/ N inputs) (NE) from 23 to 34% in a grass-clover based system (GC), and 13 to 21% in a purchased fertiliser based system (GN) (Leach & Roberts, 2002). Nitrogen surplus (NS = N inputs - N output in sold produce) was reduced from 184 to 90 kg N/ha in GC and from 369 to 258 kg N/ha in GN. This work was then incorporated into a participatory research project, to obtain data on N balances in commercial dairy systems and investigate the effects of suggesting management changes to improve NE

Cost-effectiveness of Rotavirus vaccination in Vietnam

Background: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea leading to hospitalization or disease-specific death among young children. New rotavirus vaccines have recently been approved. Some previous studies have provided broad qualitative insights into the health and economic consequences of introducing the vaccines into low-income countries, representing several features of rotavirus infection, such as varying degrees of severity and age-dependency of clinical manifestation, in their model-based analyses. We extend this work to reflect additional features of rotavirus (e.g., the possibility of reinfection and varying degrees of partial immunity conferred by natural infection), and assess the influence of the features on the cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination. Methods: We developed a Markov model that reflects key features of rotavirus infection, using the most recent data available. We applied the model to the 2004 Vietnamese birth cohort and reevaluated the cost-effectiveness (2004 US dollars per disability-adjusted life year [DALY]) of rotavirus vaccination (Rotarix®) compared to no vaccination, from both societal and health care system perspectives. We conducted univariate sensitivity analyses and also performed a probabilistic sensitivity analysis, based on Monte Carlo simulations drawing parameter values from the distributions assigned to key uncertain parameters. Results: Rotavirus vaccination would not completely protect young children against rotavirus infection due to the partial nature of vaccine immunity, but would effectively reduce severe cases of rotavirus gastroenteritis (outpatient visits, hospitalizations, or deaths) by about 67% over the first 5 years of life. Under base-case assumptions (94% coverage and $5 per dose), the incremental cost per DALY averted from vaccination compared to no vaccination would be$540 from the societal perspective and $550 from the health care system perspective. Conclusion: Introducing rotavirus vaccines would be a cost-effective public health intervention in Vietnam. However, given the uncertainty about vaccine efficacy and potential changes in rotavirus epidemiology in local settings, further clinical research and re-evaluation of rotavirus vaccination programs may be necessary as new information emerges

Cardiovascular risk and emotion regulation contribute to depression symptomatology in middle-aged and older autistic adults

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and executive function difficulties increase during later-life and are associated with depression symptoms among non-autistic older people. These associations, however, have not yet been explored among middle-aged and older autistic people. Methods: Using data collected via Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK), Research Match, we examined the frequency of CVRF, and associations between CVRF, executive function and depression symptoms in 387 middle-aged and older autistic people (aged 40-83 years). Results: Autistic adults reported high rates of CVRF (two, 28.9%; three or more, 23.2%). Rates of high cholesterol and obesity were greater among middle-aged and older autistic adults compared to the general population. CVRF, age, and emotion regulation (but not inhibitory control), were significantly associated with depression symptoms in middle-aged and older autistic adults. Conclusions: CVRF occur at high rates in middle-aged and older autistic adults, and it is important that healthcare providers monitor risk factors in order to implement preventative strategies. CVRF are associated with depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older autistic adults, but may not be as important as difficulties with emotion regulation

Self-reported prospective and retrospective memory among middle aged and older autistic and non-autistic people

Objective: Self-reported memory difficulties are common among older adults, but few studies have examined memory problems among autistic middle-aged and older people. The current study examines self-rated prospective (PM) and retrospective (RM) memory difficulties and their associations with age in middle-aged and older autistic and non-autistic people. Methods: 350 autistic people (58% assigned-female-at-birth; age-range: 40-83 years) and 350 non-autistic adults matched on age, birth-sex and education level were included in the analysis. Participants completed the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) which includes questions about PM vs. RM (memory type), environment-cued vs. self-cued (cue), and short vs. long delay (delay). Results: Autistic people reported significantly more PM and RM difficulties than the comparison group. Both groups reported more difficulties with PM (vs. RM), self-cued (vs. environment-cued), and short (vs. long) delay. No significant interactions were observed. Among autistic people, younger age was associated with reporting more PM and RM difficulties, but this pattern was not observed among non-autistic people. Conclusions: Autistic people may be at reduced risk for memory problems as they age, compared to their same-age non-autistic peers. Further studies are required to explore the association between self-reported memory challenges and memory task performance among autistic older people

Statistical Approach to Raman Analysis of Graphene-Related Materials: Implications for Quality Control

A statistical method to determine the number of measurements required from nanomaterials to ensure reliable and robust analysis is described. Commercial products utilizing graphene are in their infancy and recent investigations of commercial graphene manufacture have attributed this to the lack of robust metrology and standards by which graphene and related carbon materials can be measured and compared. Raman spectroscopy is known to be a useful tool in carbon nanomaterial characterization, but to provide meaningful information, in particular for quality control or management, multiple spectra are needed. Herein we present a statistical method to quantify the number of different spectra or other microscale measurements that should be taken to reliably characterize a graphene material. We have recorded a large number of Raman measurements and studied the statistical convergence of these data sets. We use a graphical approach to monitor the change in summary statistics and a Monte Carlo based bootstrapping method of data analysis to computationally resample the data demonstrating the effects of underanalyzing a material; for example, graphene nanoplatelets may require over 500 spectra before information about the exfoliation efficiency, particle size, layer number, and chemical functionalization is accurately obtained

Promoting Inclusion in Your Practice for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Clients: Utilizing the Inclusive Financial Well-being Empowerment Model

Despite increasing attention to cultural humility and inclusivity for financial therapy, mental health, and financial practitioners, little is written about the best practices for working with transgender and gender non-conforming (GNC) clients. This theoretical paper will review these best practices and will present a hypothetical financial therapy case study that utilizes the Inclusive Financial Well-being Empowerment Model (IFWEM). The goal of this work is to introduce practitioners to the best practices for working with transgender and GNC clients in an inclusive and empowering way and to promote future data-driven research for this population