DETERMINISTIC COMPONENT EXTRACTION USING PCA FOR EVALUATION OF ROWING DATA

INTRODUCTION: Human movement is intrinsically variable, both within and between individuals (Newell & Corcos, 1993). Kinematic rowing data is no different. It is believed that there is a need to separate the random elements of the rowing stroke from the deterministic components. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) may be used both as a filter to separate these components and as a method of analysis of the entire movement waveform, retaining potentially valuable temporal information (Deluzio et al, 1999). This research aims to analyse the use of PCA in the analysis of rowing kinematic data, utilising the entire waveform

Herschel photometric observations of the low metallicity dwarf galaxy NGC 1705

We present Herschel SPIRE and PACS photometeric observations of the low metallicity (Z ~ 0.35 Z_☉) nearby dwarf galaxy, NGC 1705, in six wavelength bands as part of the Dwarf Galaxy Survey guaranteed time Herschel key program. We confirm the presence of two dominant circumnuclear IR-bright regions surrounding the central super star cluster that had been previously noted at mid-IR wavelengths and in the sub-mm by LABOCA. On constructing a global spectral energy distribution using the SPIRE and PACS photometry, in conjunction with archival IR measurements, we note the presence of an excess at sub-mm wavelengths. This excess suggests the presence of a significant cold dust component within NGC 1705 and was modeled as an additional cold component in the SED. Although alternative explanations for the sub-mm excess beyond 350 μm, such as changes to the dust emissivity cannot be ruled out, the most likely explanation for the observed submillimetre excess is that of an additional cold dust component

Forestry and the aquatic environment: studies in an Irish context

International audienceResearch on the interaction between plantation forestry and aquatic environments is essential to develop environmentally compatible and sustainable management further. Given, in Ireland, the generally low levels of atmospheric pollution, its geology and maritime climate, and the unique fauna and flora due to its island history, such studies are important not only in the regional context, but also internationally, as they provide an opportunity to examine the effect of forestry and forest management practices on aquatic systems per se, without the complications of acidification. Here, some of the major findings of forestry and water research in Ireland have been reviewed and compared with those from the UK and elsewhere. Plantation forests do not exacerbate acidification in the south of Ireland (Munster) as a whole so that the influence of forestry on water chemistry is far less important than in other parts of the country (such as Wicklow and Mayo). The main forestry influence on streams in Munster is more likely through physical factors, but their nature is unclear. In a few catchments some negative effects are evident, but in many others apparently positive forest effects occur. In this context, smaller scale catchment-level effects appear to be more important in explaining the various relationships between plantation forests and stream ecology than larger scale regional factors. The management of riparian zones, particularly in forested catchments, is of major importance for the structure and functioning of aquatic communities and further work is needed on best management practices. It is suggested that it is unreasonable to base forest management on national Forest-Fisheries guidelines since regions vary too much and the signal from local conditions is too strong. The approach for environmentally benign, scientifically sound forestry management has to be at the catchment scale. Trees in the right places may be beneficial ecologically but further work is needed to identify these locations. The introduction of new forest management practices such as adoption of new species mixes and continuous forest cover are at an early stage in Ireland and their influence on aquatic systems is unknown. Keywords: forest-stream interactions, Irish plantation forestry, hydrochemistry, macroinvertebrates, salmonids, forest managemen

Preregistration house officers in general practice: review of evidence

OBJECTIVES: To examine the strengths and weaknesses of the national and local schemes for preregistration house officers to spend four months in general practice, to identify any added value from such placements, and to examine the impact on career choices. DESIGN: Review of all studies that reported on placements of preregistration house officers in general practice. SETTING: 19 accounts of preregistration house officers’ experience in general practice, ranging from single case reports to a national evaluation study, in a variety of locations in Scotland and England. PARTICIPANTS: Views of 180 preregistration house officers, 45 general practitioner trainers, and 105 consultant trainers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main findings or themes weighted according to number of studies reporting them and weighted for sample size. RESULTS: The studies were unanimous about the educational benefits of the placements. The additional learning included communication skills, social and psychological factors in illness, patient centred consultations, broadening of knowledge base, and dealing with uncertainty about diagnosis and referral. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the reported benefits and recommendations of the scheme, it is not expanding. General practitioner trainers reported additional supervision that was unremunerated. The reforms of the senior house officer grade may resolve this problem by offering the placements to senior house officers, who require less supervision

Invariance Violation Extends the Cosmic Ray Horizon ?

We postulate in the present paper that the energy-momentum relation is modified for very high energy particles to violate Lorentz invariance and the speed of photon is changed from the light velocity c. The violation effect is amplified, in a sensitive way to detection, through the modified kinematical constraints on the conservation of energy and momentum, in the absorption process of gamma-rays colliding against photons of longer wavelengths and converting into an electron-positron pair. For gamma-rays of energies higher than 10 TeV, the minimum energy of the soft photons for the reaction and then the absorption mean free path of gamma-rays are altered by orders of magnitude from the ones conventionally estimated. Consideration is similarly applied to high energy cosmic ray protons. The consequences may require the standard assumptions on the maximum distance that very high energy radiation can travel from to be revised.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, to be published in Ap J Letter

Membrane Adhesion and the Formation of Heterogeneities: Biology, Biophysics, and Biotechnology

a. The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1610, Austin, Texas 78712-1199, USA. E-mail: [email protected] b.The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Austin, Texas 78712-1199, USAMembrane adhesion is essential to many vital biological processes. Sites of membrane adhesion are often associated with heterogeneities in the lipid and protein composition of the membrane. These heterogeneities are thought to play functional roles by facilitating interactions between proteins. However, the causal links between membrane adhesion and membrane heterogeneities are not known. Here we survey the state of the field and indicate what we think are understudied areas ripe for development.This work is supported by startup funds from UT Austin and a gift from ExxonMobile to VDG and by NIH R01 R01 GM089896 to T.J.O.Center for Nonlinear Dynamic

Theory of the electronic and optical properties of germanium-tin alloys

The elemental group-IV materials silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) see widespread use in conventional microelectronic and have been used to develop a wide range of passive photonic components. The presence of a fundamental indirect gap in both Si and Ge however, severely limits these materials application in the development of active photonic components, such as light emitting diodes or lasers. Due to the fact that the fundamental indirect band gap in Ge lies only 145 meV below it’s direct gap, there has recently been a surge of interest in engineering a direct band gap from Ge, with the approach of alloying Ge with fellow Group IV materials garnering particularly widespread attention. Theoretical and Experimental research suggest that with incorporation of just ∼ 3% Pb or ∼ 10% Sn in Ge a direct fundamental band gap can be achieved in materials that can be grown directly on Si substrates. Utilizing this approach of alloying Ge with a small amount of Sn, optical and electically pumped lasing has recently been demonstrated, A key requirement for the developement of more efficient active components utilizing these promising new alloys remains the need for a more complete understanding of the electronic band structure of these materials and the mechanism by which the band gap develops and transitions from indirect- to a fundamentally direct gap. Using first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations we present a detailed comparison of the electronic structure evolution in Ge1−x(Sn,Pb)x alloys with increasing x content. Through our analysis of the alloy electronic structure we then identify and quantify the mechanisms responsible for the indirect- to direct-gap transition in Ge1−x(Sn,Pb)x alloys. Our results provide insight into the properties of these emerging group-IV alloys and quantify the impact that incorporation of small amounts of Sn or Pb has on optical transition rates and carrier mobilities

The Discovery of an Active Galactic Nucleus in the Late-type Galaxy NGC 3621: Spitzer Spectroscopic Observations

We report the discovery of an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) in the nearby SAd galaxy NGC 3621 using Spitzer high spectral resolution observations. These observations reveal the presence of [NeV] 14 um and 24 um emission which is centrally concentrated and peaks at the position of the near-infrared nucleus. Using the [NeV] line luminosity, we estimate that the nuclear bolometric luminosity of the AGN is ~ 5 X 10^41 ergs s^-1, which corresponds based on the Eddington limit to a lower mass limit of the black hole of ~ 4 X 10^3 Msun. Using an order of magnitude estimate for the bulge mass based on the Hubble type of the galaxy, we find that this lower mass limit does not put a strain on the well-known relationship between the black hole mass and the host galaxy's stellar velocity dispersion established in predominantly early-type galaxies. Mutli-wavelength follow-up observations of NGC 3621 are required to obtain more precise estimates of the bulge mass, black hole mass, accretion rate, and nuclear bolometric luminosity. The discovery reported here adds to the growing evidence that a black hole can form and grow in a galaxy with no or minimal bulge.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

The iconography of Asphyxiophilia: From fantasmatic fetish to forensic fact

This is a post print version of the article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below