A non-monetary scale for the evaluation of tropical seagrass ecosystem services in the Indo-Pacific through meta-analysis

Ecosystem service valuation is the process by which naturally occurring services, like carbon storage, can be valued, most commonly in the form of financial valuation. However, monetary valuation can undervalue services that do not provide much economic gain but are still biologically or culturally important. Ecosystem services are generally classified into four categories Cultural, Regulation, Supporting and Provisioning services. This study aims to create a non-monetary scoring system for the valuation of ecosystem services. To do this, I will be using seagrass in the Indo-Pacific region as a case study. Non-monetary valuation is a method by which a numeric value can be assigned to these services, independent of financial value, allowing factors such as fisheries productivity, a provisioning service, to be compared with cultural, supporting and regulating benefits independent of money. These non-monetary systems have previously been vague or difficult to apply for decision-makers. Using Indo-Pacific seagrass meadows as a case study, I present a non-monetary data-driven valuation system that eliminates some of the bias found in other monetary systems and provides a clear points based score for the ecosystem. Literature searching returned 31 papers assessing organic carbon storage covering 68 meadows in 12 countries and one territory, and the sampling depth ranged from 3-140cm. Two were found with BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) data, which were combined with multiple unpublished sources provided by Swansea University to cover 357 drops across seven countries and one territory in the Indo-Pacific. Carbon storage is a key ecosystem service in the prevention of climate change, organic carbon was chosen as it shows the accumulation of organic material by the meadow which contributes to carbon sequestering. Additionally, data for inorganic carbon were less available. Cultural services where assessed using the presence of rare and endangered species as a proxy. Fisheries data were selected due to the high level of reliance on fish for protein in this region. This valuation system shows that ecosystem services in the Indo-Pacific vary by environment type, particularly lagoon and reef meadows. Lagoon meadows show significantly higher carbon storage than coastal, deepwater, reef and estuarine. Conversely, reef meadows show significantly higher scores for fish assemblage associated data than coastal or lagoon meadows. This paper develops a consistently reliable method through meta-analysis for the non-monetary valuation of ecosystem services using a percentile scale. This allows decision-makers to consider non-monetary factors in management situations, therefore considering the community opinion and the financial benefits of conserving an ecosystem. However, this is not the focus of this study, which was to create a scoring system that can be used in non-monetary valuation

Effects of Exercise Training on Neutrophil Proliferation and Function in Cancer Patients

Cancer and its treatments, namely chemotherapy and radiation, lead to negative physiological consequences. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocytes in circulation with several studies pointing to the impact of cancer and its treatments lowering the count and function of this cell line. Exercise has been shown to positively impact to neutrophil count and function in the generally healthy population. However, this effect is less understood in the cancer population. The purpose of this study was to quantify and characterize neutrophil populations in cancer patients and examine the effects of a prescribed exercise intervention on neutrophil count and neutrophil function. It was hypothesized that cancer patients completing a 12-week individualized and prescribed exercise intervention would have an increased absolute neutrophil count. It was also hypothesized that neutrophils from cancer patients completing an individualized and prescribed exercise intervention would demonstrate enhanced oxidative burst activity. Participants (N = 24) were recruited by physician referral. Participants were grouped based on treatment status (in-treatment [IT] or post-treatment [PT]) and performed low to moderate intensity exercise over a 12-week period. Blood was collected from each participant after the initial visit and intervention. Neutrophils were isolated from blood by magnetic separation. Isolated cells were characterized and quantified via flow cytometry to quantify absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Neutrophils were induced to activate via N-formylmethionine-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). After 45 minutes, cell membrane expression of rhodamine-123 was measured via flow cytometry to assess the rate of oxidation from rest. Neutrophils were measured for functional capacity over a 48-hour period. After 24 and 48 hours, neutrophils were assessed via flow cytometry for CD16 brightness as a surrogate for functional capacity. Absolute neutrophil count (was significantly improved in both IT (0.71 ± 0.38 to 0.96 ± 0.52 K cells/µl; p = .05) and PT (0.52 ± 0.32 to 0.90 ± 0.51 K cells/µl; p \u3c .05). Neutrophil function was not significantly changed in IT, but PT saw significant improvement to neutrophil function (80.35 ± 65.54% to 167.16 ± 121.28%; p = .05). There was no change to neutrophil functional capacity in the IT group. There was no change to neutrophil functional capacity in either IT or PT after 24 and 48 hours. Neutrophil functional capacity significantly decreased from baseline 48 hours after the intervention period in the PT group (p \u3c .05). A 12-week individualized and prescribed exercise intervention could significantly increase ANC of cancer patients both during treatment and after treatment. Exercise also increased the function of neutrophils in a post-treatment population of cancer patients while maintaining function of neutrophils in an in-treatment population

Analysis of standing vertical jumps using a force platform

A force platform analysis of vertical jumping provides an engaging demonstration of the kinematics and dynamics of one-dimensional motion. The height of the jump may be calculated (1) from the flight time of the jump, (2) by applying the impulse–momentum theorem to the force–time curve, and (3) by applying the work–energy theorem to the force-displacement curve

Heuristics in Multi-Winner Approval Voting

In many real world situations, collective decisions are made using voting. Moreover, scenarios such as committee or board elections require voting rules that return multiple winners. In multi-winner approval voting (AV), an agent may vote for as many candidates as they wish. Winners are chosen by tallying up the votes and choosing the top-$k$ candidates receiving the most votes. An agent may manipulate the vote to achieve a better outcome by voting in a way that does not reflect their true preferences. In complex and uncertain situations, agents may use heuristics to strategize, instead of incurring the additional effort required to compute the manipulation which most favors them. In this paper, we examine voting behavior in multi-winner approval voting scenarios with complete information. We show that people generally manipulate their vote to obtain a better outcome, but often do not identify the optimal manipulation. Instead, voters tend to prioritize the candidates with the highest utilities. Using simulations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of these heuristics in situations where agents only have access to partial information

Phase Angle Adaptation to Exercise Training in Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment

Phase angle is a measure of cellular resistance and reactance to bioelectrical impedance analysis. This measurement is useful as a marker of cell membrane integrity and is used as a prognostic marker in several clinical populations. Cancer and its related treatments impact cell membrane integrity, leading to poor cell function. Exercise is shown to increase phase angle, resulting in lowered risk of hospitalization and cardiovascular events. However, the effect of chronic exercise training on phase angle in the cancer population is unclear. Purpose: To assess the effect of chronic exercise on phase angle in cancer patients who are actively undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation. Methods: A total of 56 cancer patients who were actively undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were recruited to participate in a 12 week exercise-based rehabilitation program at the University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute. Each participant underwent an initial assessment of physiological parameters, including body composition and phase angle analysis. Results of this assessment were used to develop an individualized exercise prescription. Each participant received prescribed, supervised, one-on-one training from a Clinical Cancer Exercise Specialist, three times per week for one hour each session. After 12 weeks, each participant underwent a follow-up assessment of physiological parameters. Results: After 12 weeks of exercise training, significant increases in whole body (Initial: 4.55 ± 0.72, Follow-up: 4.68 ± 0.68; p = 0.02), right arm (Initial: 4.45 ± 0.76, Follow-up: 4.57 ± 0.72; p = 0.03), and left arm (Initial: 4.28 ± 0.79, Follow-up: 4.39 ± 0.75; p = 0.03) phase angle was observed. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that prescribed exercise training can increase phase angle in cancer survivors even while undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments. These changes may provide insight into the protective and rehabilitative benefits (e.g., cellular health, membrane integrity, disease risk) that exercise may have in this population

Heuristic Strategies in Uncertain Approval Voting Environments

In many collective decision making situations, agents vote to choose an alternative that best represents the preferences of the group. Agents may manipulate the vote to achieve a better outcome by voting in a way that does not reflect their true preferences. In real world voting scenarios, people often do not have complete information about other voter preferences and it can be computationally complex to identify a strategy that will maximize their expected utility. In such situations, it is often assumed that voters will vote truthfully rather than expending the effort to strategize. However, being truthful is just one possible heuristic that may be used. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of heuristics in single winner and multi-winner approval voting scenarios with missing votes. In particular, we look at heuristics where a voter ignores information about other voting profiles and makes their decisions based solely on how much they like each candidate. In a behavioral experiment, we show that people vote truthfully in some situations and prioritize high utility candidates in others. We examine when these behaviors maximize expected utility and show how the structure of the voting environment affects both how well each heuristic performs and how humans employ these heuristics.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1905.1210

Optimum take-off angle in the standing long jump

The aim of this study was to identify and explain the optimum projection angle that maximises the distance achieved in a standing long jump. Five physically active males performed maximum-effort jumps over a wide range of take-off angles, and the jumps were recorded and analysed using a 2-D video analysis procedure. The total jump distance achieved was considered as the sum of three component distances (take-off, flight, and landing), and the dependence of each component distance on the take-off angle was systematically investigated. The flight distance was strongly affected by a decrease in the jumper’s take-off speed with increasing take-off angle, and the take-off distance and landing distance steadily decreased with increasing take-off angle due to changes in the jumper’s body configuration. The optimum take-off angle for the jumper was the angle at which the three component distances combined to produce the greatest jump distance. Although the calculated optimum take-off angles (19–27º) were lower than the jumpers’ preferred take-off angles (31–39º), the loss in jump distance through using a sub-optimum take-off angle was relatively small

Optimum take-off angle in the standing long jump

The aim of this study was to identify and explain the optimum projection angle that maximises the distance achieved in a standing long jump. Five physically active males performed maximum-effort jumps over a wide range of take-off angles, and the jumps were recorded and analysed using a 2-D video analysis procedure. The total jump distance achieved was considered as the sum of three component distances (take-off, flight, and landing), and the dependence of each component distance on the take-off angle was systematically investigated. The flight distance was strongly affected by a decrease in the jumper’s take-off speed with increasing take-off angle, and the take-off distance and landing distance steadily decreased with increasing take-off angle due to changes in the jumper’s body configuration. The optimum take-off angle for the jumper was the angle at which the three component distances combined to produce the greatest jump distance. Although the calculated optimum take-off angles (19–27º) were lower than the jumpers’ preferred take-off angles (31–39º), the loss in jump distance through using a sub-optimum take-off angle was relatively small

Human Dendritic Cell Subsets, Ontogeny, and Impact on HIV Infection

Dendritic cells (DCs) play important roles in orchestrating host immunity against invading pathogens, representing one of the first responders to infection by mucosal invaders. From their discovery by Ralph Steinman in the 1970s followed shortly after with descriptions of their in vivo diversity and distribution by Derek Hart, we are still continuing to progressively elucidate the spectrum of DCs present in various anatomical compartments. With the power of high-dimensional approaches such as single-cell sequencing and multiparameter cytometry, recent studies have shed new light on the identities and functions of DC subtypes. Notable examples include the reclassification of plasmacytoid DCs as purely interferon-producing cells and re-evaluation of intestinal conventional DCs and macrophages as derived from monocyte precursors. Collectively, these observations have changed how we view these cells not only in steady-state immunity but also during disease and infection. In this review, we will discuss the current landscape of DCs and their ontogeny, and how this influences our understanding of their roles during HIV infection