Water color and circulation southern Chesapeake Bay, part 1

Satellite imagery from two EREP passes over the Rappahannock Estuary of the Chesapeake region is analyzed to chart colored water types, to delineate color boundaries and define circulatory patterns. Surface observations from boats and helicopters concurrent with Skylab overpass define the distributions of suspended sediment, transparency, temperature, salinity, phytoplankton, color of suspended material and optical ratio. Important features recorded by the imagery are a large-scale turbidity maximum and massive red tide blooms. Water movement is revealed by small-scale mixing patterns and tidal plumes of apparent sediment-laden water. The color patterns broadly reflect the bottom topography and the seaward gradient of suspended material between the river and the bay. Analyses of red, green and natural color photos by microdensitometry demonstrate the utility of charting water color types of potential use for managing estuarine water quality. The Skylab imagery is superior to aerial photography and surface observations for charting water color

Climate change and water-related infectious diseases

Background: Water-related, including waterborne, diseases remain important sources of morbidity and mortality worldwide, but particularly in developing countries. The potential for changes in disease associated with predicted anthropogenic climate changes make water-related diseases a target for prevention. Methods: We provide an overview of evidence on potential future changes in water-related disease associated with climate change. Results: A number of pathogens are likely to present risks to public health, including cholera, typhoid, dysentery, leptospirosis, diarrhoeal diseases and harmful algal blooms (HABS). The risks are greatest where the climate effects drive population movements, conflict and disruption, and where drinking water supply infrastructure is poor. The quality of evidence for water-related disease has been documented. Conclusions: We highlight the need to maintain and develop timely surveillance and rapid epidemiological responses to outbreaks and emergence of new waterborne pathogens in all countries. While the main burden of waterborne diseases is in developing countries, there needs to be both technical and financial mechanisms to ensure adequate quantities of good quality water, sewage disposal and hygiene for all. This will be essential in preventing excess morbidity and mortality in areas that will suffer from substantial changes in climate in the future

A user evaluation of hierarchical phrase browsing

Phrase browsing interfaces based on hierarchies of phrases extracted automatically from document collections offer a useful compromise between automatic full-text searching and manually-created subject indexes. The literature contains descriptions of such systems that many find compelling and persuasive. However, evaluation studies have either been anecdotal, or focused on objective measures of the quality of automatically-extracted index terms, or restricted to questions of computational efficiency and feasibility. This paper reports on an empirical, controlled user study that compares hierarchical phrase browsing with full-text searching over a range of information seeking tasks. Users found the results located via phrase browsing to be relevant and useful but preferred keyword searching for certain types of queries. Users experiences were marred by interface details, including inconsistencies between the phrase browser and the surrounding digital library interface

Siphonochilus aethiopicus (Zingiberaceae): observations on floral and reproductive biology

A taxonomic revision for the Flora of Southern Africa of Siphonochilus (Zingiberaceae) awaits publication (R.M. Smith, RBG, Edin., pers. comm. to ABC, 1987). In this revision the two southern African species, S. aethiopicus (Schweinf.) B.L. Burtt and S. natalensis (Schltr. & Schum.) Wood & Franks will be united. For the purposes of this article this conspecificity is assumed. S. aethiopicus has a distribution in Africa southwards from Senegal and Ethiopia to the Transvaal. Futher south wild populations are not now known, the species having disappeared from the natural flora of Natal. Rhizomes are extensively used in traditional African medicine and cultural practices. Floral and reproductive biology is poorly documented, but important if cultivated stocks in southern Africa are to be maintained. Monitoring of plants under cultivation and semi-natural conditions did not support the record of polygamy within the species. One type of flower only was produced by an individual rhizome. Bisexual flowers may mature to fruits containing viable seed that will germinate in situ. Ovaries of female flowers did not develop, suggesting apomixis does not operate in seed production. The internal surfaces of the staminodial tubes of bisexual flowers bore scattered glandular trichomes; those of female flowers densely placed multicellular papillae. Bisexual and female flowers are thus strikingly different in detailed structure as well as in general morphological form

Exercise rehabilitation programmes for pulmonary hypertension – a systematic review of intervention components and reporting quality

Objectives: To identify the components, and assess the reporting quality, of exercise training interventions for people living with pulmonary hypertension. Design: Systematic review with analysis of intervention reporting quality using the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT). Data sources: Eligible studies in the Cochrane Systematic Review of exercise-based rehabilitation for pulmonary hypertension, updated with a new search of relevant databases from 1st August 2016 to 15th January 2018. Eligibility criteria: Peer reviewed journal articles of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials, and non-controlled prospective observational studies, investigating dynamic exercise training interventions in adult humans with diagnosed pulmonary hypertension, reporting on at least one physiological and/or psychosocial outcome. Results: Interventions typically involved cycle ergometry and walking. They were delivered as three-week in-patient, or out-patient and/or home-based programmes, lasting for four to 15 weeks. Components relating specifically to exercise prescription were described satisfactorily and in more detail than motivational/behavioural change strategies, adherence and fidelity. Mean Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) score was 13.1 (range 8 to 17) out of a possible maximum score of 19. No studies fully reported every aspect of an exercise intervention to the standard recommended by CERT. Summary/conclusion: Considerable variability was evident in the components and reporting quality of interventions for exercise rehabilitation studies in pulmonary hypertension. Interventional studies using exercise training should pay greater attention to describing motivational/ behavioural change strategies, adherence and fidelity. Detailed description of these parameters is essential for the safe and effective replication of exercise rehabilitation interventions for pulmonary hypertension in clinical practice. Trial registration number: This systematic review is registered with PROSPERO 2018 CRD4201808555

Experiences in deploying metadata analysis tools for institutional repositories

Current institutional repository software provides few tools to help metadata librarians understand and analyze their collections. In this article, we compare and contrast metadata analysis tools that were developed simultaneously, but independently, at two New Zealand institutions during a period of national investment in research repositories: the Metadata Analysis Tool (MAT) at The University of Waikato, and the Kiwi Research Information Service (KRIS) at the National Library of New Zealand. The tools have many similarities: they are convenient, online, on-demand services that harvest metadata using OAI-PMH; they were developed in response to feedback from repository administrators; and they both help pinpoint specific metadata errors as well as generating summary statistics. They also have significant differences: one is a dedicated tool wheres the other is part of a wider access tool; one gives a holistic view of the metadata whereas the other looks for specific problems; one seeks patterns in the data values whereas the other checks that those values conform to metadata standards. Both tools work in a complementary manner to existing Web-based administration tools. We have observed that discovery and correction of metadata errors can be quickly achieved by switching Web browser views from the analysis tool to the repository interface, and back. We summarize the findings from both tools' deployment into a checklist of requirements for metadata analysis tools

Localism and the Big Society: the asset transfer of leisure centres and libraries – fighting closures or empowering communities?

This paper critically examines the ‘asset transfer’ of leisure services from the public to the voluntary sector. Asset transfer might be theorised as ‘austerity localism’, in which volunteers are obliged to fill the gaps left by retreating public provision, or as ‘progressive localism’, which represents new opportunities through the localism and Big Society agendas to develop more locally responsive, cooperative and mutualist visions. In this way, asset transfer might overcome the limitations of the United Kingdom policies in which ‘Big Government’ is replaced by civic society. Drawing on qualitative interviews with key personnel (volunteers, managers and local authority officers) at 12 leisure facilities, a grounded assessment of the nuanced balance between ‘austerity localism’ and ‘progressive localism’ is provided, including three observations. First, the main impetus for transfer was cuts in local authority budgets which stimulated the emergence of local groups of volunteers. Secondly, the transfers themselves required interaction between local government and the volunteer groups; however, the nature of the relationship and support given varied and support was limited by austerity measures. Thirdly, volunteers do not automatically fill a gap left by the state: without support transfer viability relies on the financial and social capital among volunteer groups, and this is unevenly distributed. These findings suggest that the capacity for a ‘progressive localism’ to emerge through asset transfer is limited. However, where transfer has occurred, there are some progressive benefits of volunteer empowerment and a more flexible service

The effect of protein and essential amino acid supplementation on muscle strength and performance in patients with chronic heart failure – A systematic review

Purpose Critically low skeletal muscle mass and strength, observed in 20% of people with chronic heart failure (CHF), reduces functional capacity, quality of life (QoL) and survival. Protein and essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation could be a viable treatment strategy to prevent declines in muscle strength and performance, and subsequently improve QoL and survival. This systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42018103649) aimed to assess the effect of dietary protein and/or EAA supplementation on muscle strength and performance in people with CHF. Methods Searches of PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase identified studies that reported changes in strength or muscle performance following protein and/or EAA supplementation in patients with CHF. Following PRISMA guidelines and using predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria relating to participants, intervention, control, outcome and study design, two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full manuscripts for eligibility. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool (RCTs) or Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (cohort studies). Data were extracted for analysis using predefined criteria. Results Five randomised controlled trials (RCT) and one cohort study met our inclusion criteria. All RCTs had a high risk of bias. The methodological quality of the cohort study was moderate. Heterogeneity of extracted data prevented meta-analyses, qualitative synthesis was therefore performed. Data from 167 patients with CHF suggest that protein and/or EAA supplementation does not improve strength, but may increase six-minute walk test distance, muscle mass and QoL. Conclusions The limited quality of the studies makes firm conclusions difficult, however protein and/or EAA supplementation may improve important outcome measures related to sarcopenia. High-quality randomised controlled studies are needed

Tissue fat of the jawbone cavity as an indicator of condition of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) in Tennessee

This study was based on data collected from six wildlife management areas (WMA\u27s) in Tennessee. Information on fat from the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) was obtained through the analysis of jawbones and femurs collected during the period of December, 1969 to December, 1971. Fat from the tissue of the femur (FMT) was found to be a poor standard with which to verify that the fat in the tissue of the jawbone (JCT) was an indicator of condition. Fat from the tissue of the jawbone cavity was found to separate into more distinguishable condition classes than was FMT fat. Data indicated that JCT fat was utilized prior to the utilization of FMT fat. Percent JCT fat was found to vary between the right and left jawbones of the same animal. Animals 2 1/2 years or older had much less variation between the JCT fat levels of the right and left jaw bone than did animals 11/2 years or less. Age, sex, and date of collection were found to affect JCT fat levels. Percent JCT fat increased from the fawn age class up to and including the 3 1/2 age class. Percent JCT fat remained relatively stable in all age classes above 31/2 years. Females were found to have a percent JCT fat that was higher than the percent JCT fat of males. Fat in the tissue of the jawbone cavity increased during the months of October, November, and early December, and decreased in late December and early January. Mean JCT fat levels of the deer on four of the WMA\u27s were found to be closely grouped and high. The deer herd on the Natchez Trace WMA had a JCT fat level that was lower than the JCT fat levels of the other areas. The JCT fat level of the deer herd on the Tellico WMA could not be determined due to inadequate sampling. Fat from the tissue of the jawbone cavity was shown to be a fat reserve, and therefore, could be used as an indicator of condition, provided JCT fat\u27s position in the fat utilization and replacement order is known, and provided that JCT fat is not completely utilized or replaced

Locally Accessible Information of Multisite Quantum Ensembles Violates Monogamy

Locally accessible information is a useful information-theoretic physical quantity of an ensemble of multiparty quantum states. We find it has properties akin to quantum as well as classical correlations of single multiparty quantum states. It satisfies monotonicity under local quantum operations and classical communication. However we show that it does not follow monogamy, an important property usually satisfied by quantum correlations, and actually violates any such relation to the maximal extent. Violation is obtained even for locally indistinguishable, but globally orthogonal, multisite ensembles. The results assert that while single multiparty quantum states are monogamous with respect to their shared quantum correlations, ensembles of multiparty quantum states may not be so. The results have potential implications for quantum communication systems.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX