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Addressing nodal constraints on the capacity of railways
As demand for passenger and freight transport on Britain’s railways increases, providing additional capacity and making the best use of the existing infrastructure are priorities for the industry. Since the stations and junctions forming the nodes of the railway network tend to form the constraints on route and network capacity, improved understanding of their operation and capacity characteristics is particularly important.
This paper describes research undertaken to improve the understanding of nodal capacity and capacity utilisation, and to route and schedule trains more efficiently through nodes, thus improving service quality and/or releasing capacity for additional train service
On the de Haas-van Alphen effect in inhomogeneous alloys
We show that Landau level broadening in alloys occurs naturally as a
consequence of random variations in the local quasiparticle density, without
the need to consider a relaxation time. This approach predicts
Lorentzian-broadened Landau levels similar to those derived by Dingle using the
relaxation-time approximation. However, rather than being determined by a
finite relaxation time , the Landau-level widths instead depend directly
on the rate at which the de Haas-van Alphen frequency changes with alloy
composition. The results are in good agreement with recent data from three very
different alloy systems.Comment: 5 pages, no figure
Monte Carlo Simulations of Conformal Theory Predictions for the 3-state Potts and Ising Models
The critical properties of the 2D Ising and 3-state Potts models are
investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. Special interest is given to
measurement of 3-point correlation functions and associated universal objects,
i.e. structure constants. The results agree well with predictions coming from
conformal field theory confirming, for these examples, the correctness of the
Coulomb gas formalism and the bootstrap method.Comment: 11 pages, 6 Postscript figures, uses Revte
Establishing an agenda for social studies research in marine renewable energy
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The future of recreational fisheries: Advances in science, monitoring, management, and practice
Recreational fisheries (RF) are complex social-ecological systems that play an important role in aquatic environments while generating significant social and economic benefits around the world. The nature of RF is diverse and rapidly evolving, including the participants, their priorities and behaviors, and the related ecological impacts and social and economic benefits. RF can lead to negative ecological impacts, particularly through overexploitation of fish populations and spread of non-native species and genotypes through stocking. Hence, careful management and monitoring of RF is essential to sustain these ecologically and socioeconomically important resources. This special issue on recreational fisheries contains diverse research, syntheses, and perspectives that highlight the advances being made in RF research, monitoring, management, and practice, which we summarize here. Co-management actions are rising, often involving diverse interest groups including government and non-government organizations; applying collaborative management practices can help balance social and economic benefits with conservation targets. Technological and methodological advances are improving the ability to monitor biological, social, and economic dynamics of RF, which underpin the ability to maximize RF benefits through management actions. To ensure RF sustainability, much research focuses on the ecological aspects of RF, as well as the development of management and angling practices that reduce negative impacts on fish populations. For example, angler behavior can be influenced to conform to conservation-minded angling practices through regulations, but is often best accomplished through growing bottom-up social change movements. Anglers can also play an important role in fisheries monitoring and conservation, including providing data on fish abundance and assemblages (i.e., citizen science). The increasing impacts that growing human populations are having on the global environment are threatening many of the natural resources and ecosystem services they provide, including valuable RF. However, with careful development of research initiatives, monitoring and management, sustainable RF can generate positive outcomes for both society and natural ecosystems and help solve allocation conflicts with commercial fisheries and conservation
‘Paris with snakes’? The future of communication is/as ‘Cultural Science’
What if communication has been pursuing the wrong kind of science? This article argues that the physics-based or ‘transmission’ model derived from Claude Shannon and criticised by James Carey does not explain how communication works. We argue instead for a model derived from the evolutionary and complexity sciences. Here, communication is based on dynamic systems of meaning (not individual ‘particles’ of information), and relations among knowledge-producing agents in culture-made groups. We call this sign-based evolutionary and systems model of communication ‘cultural science’ (Hartley and Potts, 2014), and invite communication scholars to assist in its development as a ‘modern synthesis’ for communication, along the lines of Huxley’s synthesis of botany and zoology as evolutionary bioscience
The future of recreational fisheries: Advances in science, monitoring, management, and practice
Recreational fisheries (RF) are complex social-ecological systems that play an important role in aquatic environments while generating significant social and economic benefits around the world. The nature of RF is diverse and rapidly evolving, including the participants, their priorities and behaviors, and the related ecological impacts and social and economic benefits. RF can lead to negative ecological impacts, particularly through overexploitation of fish populations and spread of non-native species and genotypes through stocking. Hence, careful management and monitoring of RF is essential to sustain these ecologically and socioeconomically important resources. This special issue on recreational fisheries contains diverse research, syntheses, and perspectives that highlight the advances being made in RF research, monitoring, management, and practice, which we summarize here. Co-management actions are rising, often involving diverse interest groups including government and non-government organizations; applying collaborative management practices can help balance social and economic benefits with conservation targets. Technological and methodological advances are improving the ability to monitor biological, social, and economic dynamics of RF, which underpin the ability to maximize RF benefits through management actions. To ensure RF sustainability, much research focuses on the ecological aspects of RF, as well as the development of management and angling practices that reduce negative impacts on fish populations. For example, angler behavior can be influenced to conform to conservation-minded angling practices through regulations, but is often best accomplished through growing bottom-up social change movements. Anglers can also play an important role in fisheries monitoring and conservation, including providing data on fish abundance and assemblages (i.e., citizen science). The increasing impacts that growing human populations are having on the global environment are threatening many of the natural resources and ecosystem services they provide, including valuable RF. However, with careful development of research initiatives, monitoring and management, sustainable RF can generate positive outcomes for both society and natural ecosystems and help solve allocation conflicts with commercial fisheries and conservation
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Persistent Hominin Carnivory
The emergence of lithic technology by ∼2.6 million years ago (Ma) is often interpreted as a correlate of increasingly recurrent hominin acquisition and consumption of animal remains. Associated faunal evidence, however, is poorly preserved prior to ∼1.8 Ma, limiting our understanding of early archaeological (Oldowan) hominin carnivory. Here, we detail three large well-preserved zooarchaeological assemblages from Kanjera South, Kenya. The assemblages date to ∼2.0 Ma, pre-dating all previously published archaeofaunas of appreciable size. At Kanjera, there is clear evidence that Oldowan hominins acquired and processed numerous, relatively complete, small ungulate carcasses. Moreover, they had at least occasional access to the fleshed remains of larger, wildebeest-sized animals. The overall record of hominin activities is consistent through the stratified sequence – spanning hundreds to thousands of years – and provides the earliest archaeological evidence of sustained hominin involvement with fleshed animal remains (i.e., persistent carnivory), a foraging adaptation central to many models of hominin evolution
Earliest archaeological evidence of persistent hominin carnivory
The emergence of lithic technology by ~2.6 million years ago (Ma) is often interpreted as a correlate of increasingly recurrent hominin acquisition and consumption of animal remains. Associated faunal evidence, however, is poorly preserved prior to ~1.8 Ma, limiting our understanding of early archaeological (Oldowan) hominin carnivory. Here, we detail three large well-preserved zooarchaeological assemblages from Kanjera South, Kenya. The assemblages date to ~2.0 Ma, pre-dating all previously published archaeofaunas of appreciable size. At Kanjera, there is clear evidence that Oldowan hominins acquired and processed numerous, relatively complete, small ungulate carcasses. Moreover, they had at least occasional access to the fleshed remains of larger, wildebeest-sized animals. The overall record of hominin activities is consistent through the stratified sequence ??? spanning hundreds to thousands of years ??? and provides the earliest archaeological evidence of sustained hominin involvement with fleshed animal remains (i.e., persistent carnivory), a foraging adaptation central to many models of hominin evolution.This research was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, Leakey Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, National Geographic Society, The Leverhulme Trust, University of California, Baylor University, and the City University of New York. Additional logistical support was provided by the Smithsonian Institution???s Human Origins Program and the Peter Buck Fund for Human Origins Research, the British Institute in Eastern Africa, and the National Museums of Kenya. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Detection of hypoglycemia with the GlucoWatch biographer
WSTĘP. Hipoglikiemia jest częstym, ostrym powikłaniem leczenia cukrzycy. Urządzenie monitorujące GlucoWatch zapewnia częste automatyczne pomiary glukozy z możliwością ustawienia progu alarmu niskiej glikemii. W badaniu przeanalizowano działanie biomonitora jako urządzenia służącego wykrywaniu hipoglikemii zdefiniowanej jako stężenie glukozy we krwi Ł 3,9 mmol/l.
MATERIAŁ I METODY. Analizy dokonano w czterech badaniach klinicznych, w których biomonitor zastosowano 1091 razy, co pozwoliło uzyskać 14 487 par pomiarów (odczyt z biomonitora i stężenie glukozy we krwi).
WYNIKI. Wyniki wskazują, że wraz z podwyższaniem granicy alarmu niskiej glikemii liczba rzeczywiście dodatnich alarmów (sygnał dźwiękowy i glikemia Ł 3,9 mmol/l) i fałszywie dodatnich alarmów (sygnał dźwiękowy, ale glikemia > 3,9 mmol/l) wzrasta. Po analizie wyników w zależności od poziomów sygnałów niskiej glikemii określono krzywe charakterystyki operatora odbiornika, które odpowiadają urządzeniu diagnostycznemu o wysokiej użyteczności. Ustawienie alarmu na poziomie 1,1–1,7 mmol/l powyżej hipoglikemii wydaje się optymalnym rozwiązaniem dla każdego użytkownika, dającym najlepszą proporcję wyników prawdziwie dodatnich
i fałszywie dodatnich. Analiza tych samych danych dotyczących stężenia glukozy we krwi, względem metody typowej samokontroli (2–4 pomiary dziennie), wskazuje, że wykrywanych jest mniej incydentów hipoglikemii niż za pomocą urządzenia monitorującego.
WNIOSKI. Częste i automatyczne odczyty stężenia glukozy we krwi pozwalają na efektywniejsze wykrywanie hipoglikemii.INTRODUCTION. Hypoglycemia is a common acute
complication of diabetes therapy. The GlucoWatch
biographer provides frequent and automatic glucose
measurements with an adjustable low-glucose
alarm. We have analyzed the performance of the
biographer low-glucose alarm relative to hypoglycemia
as defined by blood glucose £ 3.9 mmol/l.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. The analysis was based
on 1,091 biographer uses from four clinical trials,
which generated 14,487 paired (biographer and blood
glucose) readings.
RESULTS. The results show that as the low-glucose
alert level of the biographer is increased, the number
of true positive alerts (alarm sounds and blood
glucose £ 3.9 mmol/l) and false positive alerts
(alarm sounds but blood glucose > 3.9 mmol/l) increased.
When analyzed as a function of varying
low-glucose alert levels, the results show receiver
operator characteristic curves consistent with a highly
useful diagnostic tool. Setting the alert level
from 1.1 to 1.7 mmol/l above the level of concern
is likely to optimize the trade-off between true positives and false positives for each user. When the
same blood glucose data are analyzed for typical
monitoring practices (two or four measurements
per day), the results show that fewer hypoglycemic
events are detected than those detected with
the biographer.
CONCLUSIONS. The frequent and automatic nature
of the biographer readings allows more effective
detection of hypoglycemia than that achieved with
current medical practice
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