Monitoreo e identificación de cambios de la vegetación del páramo a lo largo del gradiente altitudinal en la zona alta entre los 4590 a 4800 M.S.N.M de la reserva ecológica los Ilinizas.

The present research project was developed along the altitudinal gradient in the upper area between 4590 to 4800 meters above sea level, with the aim of analyzing the change of the paramo vegetation along the altitudinal gradient in the Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, drawing 8 linear transects that were located every 30 altitudinal meters between 4590 to 4800 meters. These transects were divided by 10 quadrants, with a grid of 1m2 with microcuadrants of 10 cm2. The quadrants were 3 meters apart each until they were 100 meters long. The plant cover of the species was estimated by the Braun-Blanquet index that classifies into 7 categories that determine how much cover exists in the soil. It was possible to establish by species accumulation curves that in transect 9 there are 2 species, in transect number 10, yielded a result of only 1 species. With the transect 11, 12, 13, it was observed that there are 2 species that do not exceed 1% of coverage despite the presence of rocky material or adverse conditions that prevent the growth of species. In transect 14, there were 11 species, in 15 there were 10 species and transect 16 8 species were found. In the floristic composition the families with greater relative diversity are the Asteraceae and Caryophyllaceae. Simpson’s diversity index revealed that there are no dominant species, while comparative analyses by Sorensen and Jaccard showed that none of the transects are similar, although transect 9 and 10 share a single 1, since there is no uniformity of species. In addition, the conservation condition of the species discovered in the superparamo of the REI was examined, showing that there are 5 endemic species as "Least Concern" (LC), the Draba obovata is considered as a "Near Threatened" species (NT) and the species called Draba Aretioides, which is in Danger (EN), due to its presence in the Andean highlands of Ecuador. Based on the results, it was evident that the composition of the species varies as we climb from 4590 to 4800 meters above sea level, could be that there are adverse environmental conditions or there are no facilities for the few species that were found to grow or adapt to those conditions.El presente proyecto de investigación se desarrolló a lo largo del gradiente altitudinal en la zona alta entre los 4590 a 4800 m.s.n.m, con la finalidad de analizar el cambio de la vegetación del páramo a lo largo del gradiente altitudinal en la Reserva Ecológica los Ilinizas, trazando 8 transectos lineales que fueron ubicados cada 30 metros altitudinales entre los 4590 a los 4800 msnm. Estos transectos estaban divididos por 10 cuadrantes, con una grilla de un 1m2 con microcuadrantes de 10 cm2. Los cuadrantes estaban separados por 3 metros de distancia cada uno hasta completar los 100 metros de largo. La cobertura vegetal de las especies se estimó por el índice Braun-Blanquet que clasifica en 7 categorías que determinan cuánta cobertura existe en el suelo. Se logró establecer mediante curvas de acumulación de especies que en el transecto 9 existen 2 especies, en el transecto número 10, arrojó un resultado de 1 sola especie. Con el transecto 11, 12, 13, se observó que existen 2 especies que no superan el 1% de cobertura a pesar de que en estos transectos existe presencia de material rocoso o condiciones adversas que impiden el crecimiento de especies. En el transecto 14, existió 11 especies, en el 15 existieron 10 especies y el transecto 16 se encontraron 8 especies. En la composición florística las familias con mayor diversidad relativa son la Asteraceae y Caryophyllaceae. El índice de diversidad de Simpson reveló que no hay especies dominantes, mientras en los análisis comparativos de Sorensen y Jaccard demostraron que ningún de los transectos son similares a pesar que el transecto 9 y 10 comparten una 1 sola especie, ya que no existe una uniformidad de especies. Además, se examinó la condición de conservación de las especies descubiertas en el superpáramo de la REI, mostrándose que hay 5 especies endémicas como de “Preocupación Menor” (LC), la Draba obovata es considera como una especie “Casi Amenazada” (NT) y la especie llamada Draba Aretioides, que está en Peligro (EN), debido a su presencia en los páramos alto andinos del Ecuador. Con base a los resultados se evidenció que la composición de las especies va variando a medida que subimos altitudinalmente de 4590 a 4800 m.s.n.m, podría ser que existen condiciones ambientales adversas o no existan las facilidades para que las pocas especies que se encontraron puedan crecer o adaptarse a esas condicione

The Importance of Family to Youth Living in Violent Communities

The purpose of this study was to investigate family functioning in the relationship between community violence exposure and 1) self-esteem and 2) confrontational coping in a sample of urban youth. Adhering to the tenets of community based participatory research, academic and community partners collaborated on a cross-sectional study with 110 community dwelling urban youth, ages 10–16 living in a city located in the Northeastern United States. As part of a larger survey, this analysis included selected items on lifetime community violence exposure, family functioning, self-esteem and use of confrontational coping strategies in response to community violence. Over 90% of the youth reported some type of lifetime community violence exposure. Controlling for age and gender, older youth and those with healthier family functioning had higher self-esteem; community violence exposure was not associated with self-esteem. Healthier family functioning was associated with decreased use of confrontational coping, though increasing amounts of community violence exposure was still associated with increased confrontational coping. Family can be protective in violent environments. Results from this study directly informed an intervention aimed at youth violence prevention. This study highlights how psychiatric and mental health nurses may be able to address the complex interplay of factors for youth living in violent environments

Youth\u27s Strategies for Staying Safe and Coping With the Stress of Living in Violent Communities.

Youth living in urban environments of pervasive violence are exposed to a variety of violence-related stressors. This qualitative descriptive study sought to ascertain how community-dwelling youth perceived exposure to violence and how these youth identified and used available resources. The intent of this community-based participatory research study was to help inform the design of a youth violence prevention center intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 18 youth ages 10-16. Youth reported high levels of exposure to neighborhood violence. A theme of identifying and navigating safe and unsafe places emerged. Other stressors were more proximal and included interpersonal issues and conflicts. Youth used neighborhood and individual resources to cope with stressors. Youth maintained a high level of vigilance and developed clear strategies to safely navigate violent neighborhoods. Implications for youth due to the constant vigilance and exquisite sensitivity to stressors of chronic neighborhood violence are discussed

Methods for Linking Community Views to Measureable Outcomes in a Youth Violence Prevention Program

Background: All parties in community–academic partnerships have a vested interest prevention program success. Markers of success that reflect community’s experiences of programmatic prevention success are not always measurable, but critically speak to community-defined needs. Objective: The purpose of this manuscript was to (1) describe our systematic process for linking locally relevant community views (community-defined indicators) to measurable outcomes in the context of a youth violence prevention program and (2) discuss lessons learned, next steps, and recommendations for others trying to replicate a similar process. Methods: A research team composed of both academic and community researchers conducted a systematic process of matching community-defined indicators of youth violence prevention programmatic success to standardized youth survey items being administered in the course of a program evaluation. The research team of three community partners and five academic partners considered 43 community-defined indicators and 208 items from the youth surveys being utilized within the context of a community-based aggression prevention program. At the end of the matching process, 92 youth survey items were identified and agreed upon as potential matches to 11 of the community-defined indicators. Conclusions: We applied rigorous action steps to match community-defined indicators to survey data collected in the youth violence prevention intervention. We learned important lessons that inform recommendations for others interested in such endeavors. The process used to derive and assess community-defined indicators of success emphasized the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and use of existing and available data to reduce participant burden

The Gray Needle: Large Grains in the HD 15115 Debris Disk from LBT/PISCES/Ks and LBTI/LMIRcam/L' Adaptive Optics Imaging

We present diffraction-limited \ks band and \lprime adaptive optics images of the edge-on debris disk around the nearby F2 star HD 15115, obtained with a single 8.4 m primary mirror at the Large Binocular Telescope. At \ks band the disk is detected at signal-to-noise per resolution element (SNRE) \about 3-8 from \about 1-2\fasec 5 (45-113 AU) on the western side, and from \about 1.2-2\fasec 1 (63-90 AU) on the east. At \lprime the disk is detected at SNRE \about 2.5 from \about 1-1\fasec 45 (45-90 AU) on both sides, implying more symmetric disk structure at 3.8 \microns . At both wavelengths the disk has a bow-like shape and is offset from the star to the north by a few AU. A surface brightness asymmetry exists between the two sides of the disk at \ks band, but not at \lprime . The surface brightness at \ks band declines inside 1\asec (\about 45 AU), which may be indicative of a gap in the disk near 1\asec. The \ks - \lprime disk color, after removal of the stellar color, is mostly grey for both sides of the disk. This suggests that scattered light is coming from large dust grains, with 3-10 \microns -sized grains on the east side and 1-10 \microns dust grains on the west. This may suggest that the west side is composed of smaller dust grains than the east side, which would support the interpretation that the disk is being dynamically affected by interactions with the local interstellar medium.Comment: Apj-accepted March 27 2012; minor correction

First Light LBT AO Images of HR 8799 bcde at 1.65 and 3.3 Microns: New Discrepancies between Young Planets and Old Brown Dwarfs

As the only directly imaged multiple planet system, HR 8799 provides a unique opportunity to study the physical properties of several planets in parallel. In this paper, we image all four of the HR 8799 planets at H-band and 3.3 microns with the new LBT adaptive optics system, PISCES, and LBTI/LMIRCam. Our images offer an unprecedented view of the system, allowing us to obtain H and 3.3$ micron photometry of the innermost planet (for the first time) and put strong upper-limits on the presence of a hypothetical fifth companion. We find that all four planets are unexpectedly bright at 3.3 microns compared to the equilibrium chemistry models used for field brown dwarfs, which predict that planets should be faint at 3.3 microns due to CH4 opacity. We attempt to model the planets with thick-cloudy, non-equilibrium chemistry atmospheres, but find that removing CH4 to fit the 3.3 micron photometry increases the predicted L' (3.8 microns) flux enough that it is inconsistent with observations. In an effort to fit the SED of the HR 8799 planets, we construct mixtures of cloudy atmospheres, which are intended to represent planets covered by clouds of varying opacity. In this scenario, regions with low opacity look hot and bright, while regions with high opacity look faint, similar to the patchy cloud structures on Jupiter and L/T transition brown-dwarfs. Our mixed cloud models reproduce all of the available data, but self-consistent models are still necessary to demonstrate their viability.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Association between Frequency Domain Heart Rate Variability and Unplanned Readmission to Hospital in Geriatric Patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An accurate prediction of unplanned readmission (UR) after discharge from hospital can facilitate physician's decision making processes for providing better quality of care in geriatric patients. The objective of this study was to explore the association of cardiac autonomic functions as measured by frequency domain heart rate variability (HRV) and 14-day UR in geriatric patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients admitted to the geriatric ward of a regional hospital in Chiayi county in Taiwan were followed prospectively from July 2006 to June 2007. Those with invasive tubes and those who were heavy smokers, heavy alcohol drinkers, on medications that might influence HRV, or previously admitted to the hospital within 30 days were excluded. Cardiac autonomic functions were evaluated by frequency domain indices of HRV. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between UR and HRV indices adjusted for age and length of hospitalization.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 78 patients met the inclusion criteria and 15 of them were readmitted within 14 days after discharge. The risk of UR was significantly higher in patients with lower levels of total power (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.04-2.00), low frequency power (LF) (OR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.03-1.49), high frequency power (HF) (OR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.02-1.64), and lower ratios of low frequency power to high frequency power (LF/HF ratio) (OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.07-3.84).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study to evaluate the association between frequency domain heart rate variability and the risk of UR in geriatric patients. Frequency domain heart rate variability indices measured on admission were significantly associated with increased risk of UR in geriatric patients. Additional studies are required to confirm the value and feasibility of using HRV indices on admission as a non-invasive tool to assist the prediction of UR in geriatric patients.</p

Ancient Lowland Maya neighborhoods: Average Nearest Neighbor analysis and kernel density models, environments, and urban scale

Many humans live in large, complex political centers, composed of multi-scalar communities including neighborhoods and districts. Both today and in the past, neighborhoods form a fundamental part of cities and are defined by their spatial, architectural, and material elements. Neighborhoods existed in ancient centers of various scales, and multiple methods have been employed to identify ancient neighborhoods in archaeological contexts. However, the use of different methods for neighborhood identification within the same spatiotemporal setting results in challenges for comparisons within and between ancient societies. Here, we focus on using a single method—combining Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) and Kernel Density (KD) analyses of household groups—to identify potential neighborhoods based on clusters of households at 23 ancient centers across the Maya Lowlands. While a one-size-fits all model does not work for neighborhood identification everywhere, the ANN/KD method provides quantifiable data on the clustering of ancient households, which can be linked to environmental zones and urban scale. We found that centers in river valleys exhibited greater household clustering compared to centers in upland and escarpment environments. Settlement patterns on flat plains were more dispersed, with little discrete spatial clustering of households. Furthermore, we categorized the ancient Maya centers into discrete urban scales, finding that larger centers had greater variation in household spacing compared to medium-sized and smaller centers. Many larger political centers possess heterogeneity in household clustering between their civic-ceremonial cores, immediate hinterlands, and far peripheries. Smaller centers exhibit greater household clustering compared to larger ones. This paper quantitatively assesses household clustering among nearly two dozen centers across the Maya Lowlands, linking environment and urban scale to settlement patterns. The findings are applicable to ancient societies and modern cities alike; understanding how humans form multi-scalar social groupings, such as neighborhoods, is fundamental to human experience and social organization

Do Psychological Factors Relate to Energy Saving Behaviours in Inefficient and Damp Homes? A study among English social housing residents

Social housing residents are vulnerable to rising energy costs. Reductions in energy use through behaviour change may be part of the solution but require an insight into the factors that relate to energy saving behaviour in this context. This paper responds to recent calls for an integrated approach to studying energy saving behaviours, investigating psychological (i.e. attitudes; perceived behavioural control; subjective norms), contextual (i.e. dwelling energy efficiency; problems with condensation, damp and mould), and socio-demographic factors (i.e. gender; age) together. Data was collected using a cross-sectional survey among social housing residents in South-West England. Dwelling characteristics were not found to add to explaining heating related and other energy saving behaviours beyond well-known psychological and socio-demographic factors. The results did suggest that the presence of condensation, damp and mould was associated with more frequent heating-related energy saving behaviours, but not other energy saving behaviours. Furthermore, a moderation effect was found whereby subjective norms appeared to relate more strongly to heating-related energy saving behaviours when people live in energy efficient homes. The study illustrates the value of an integrated approach in understanding the complex interactions between contextual factors, psychological factors and energy saving behaviour and offers opportunities for future research