Climate Change Uncertainty Quantification: Lessons Learned from the Joint EU-USNRC Project on Uncertainty Analysis of Probabilistic Accident Consequence Codes

Between 1990 and 2000 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Commission of the European Communities conducted a joint uncertainty analysis of accident consequences for nuclear power plants. This study remains a benchmark for uncertainty analysis of large models involving high risks with high public visibility, and where substantial uncertainty exists. The study set standards with regard to structured expert judgment, performance assessment, dependence elicitation and modeling and uncertainty propagation of high dimensional distributions with complex dependence. The integrated assessment models for the economic effects of climate change also involve high risks and large uncertainties, and interest in conducting a proper uncertainty analysis is growing. This article reviews the EU-USNRC effort and extracts lessons learned, with a view toward informing a comparable effort for the economic effects of climate change.uncertainty analysis, expert judgment, expert elicitation, probabilistic inversion, dependence modeling, nuclear safety

Adult Male Status Post Chronic Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury: A Case Report

Background and Purpose: There is a lack of research using conservative treatment to treat chronic traumatic brachial plexus injuries. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a physical therapy treatment plan and home exercise plan (HEP) for a 47 year old male referred for shoulder pain following a traumatic compression injury 11 months ago. Case Description: This study contained interventions focused on increasing joint mobility, resistance training, massage, and modalities to decrease patient symptoms and improve quality of life. To measure outcomes, the following examinations were used: numeric pain rating scale, gross shoulder manual muscle testing, AROM of the glenohumeral joint, DASH, and pectoralis minor MLT to evaluate muscle tightness versus guarded posture. Outcomes: The patient showed limited to no improvement in each of the measures used to take from baseline to discharge. Slight improvements in AROM of the shoulder noted from 92ᵒ to 99ᵒ shoulder flexion and 84ᵒ to 104ᵒ shoulder abduction, no change in gross strength, and no change in DASH score. The patient was able to relax in the supine position over a period of 25 minutes to allow his right upper extremity to rest on the table for an accurate pectoralis minor MLT, the right shoulder measures 18 cm and left measured 15 cm. Discussion: The results of this study emphasize early conservative treatment with brachial plexus injuries as well as the complexity involved when treating patients with chronic traumatic injuries. This case report adds a chronic component to the brachial plexus literature that is currently lacking. Additional research could include a study focused on specific interventions related to improving joint mobility, preventing muscle atrophy, and decreasing pain would be beneficial to the small population of traumatic brachial plexus injuries as well as the chronic BPI

3D image analysis for pedestrian detection

A method for solving the dense disparity stereo correspondence problem is presented in this paper. This technique is designed specifically for pedestrian detection type applications. A new Ground Control Points (GCPs) scheme is introduced, using groundplane homography information to determine regions in which good GCPs are likely to occur. The method also introduces a dynamic disparity limit constraint to further improve GCP selection and dense disparity generation. The technique is applied to a real world pedestrian detection scenario with a background modeling system based on disparity and edges

Fun environmentalism! Potential contributions of autonomy supportive psychology to developing low carbon lifestyles in Australian households

To achieve sustainable levels of Australian household carbon emissions, individuals will have to adopt and maintain high impact pro-environmental behaviours across a number of behavioural domains. It is hypothesised that motivation type will be a critical factor in bringing about personally sustainable changes. In particular, selfdetermined (autonomous) motivation will be essential for generalisation of proenvironmental behaviour. If this hypothesis is supported, the next challenge is to identify optimal ways of promoting autonomous behaviour change, drawing on and expanding from Self-Determination Theory. It is proposed that a general move towards a positive, holistic approach to environmentalism is necessary, one aspect of which is to make environmental action more satisfying, interesting, and fun

Detecting shadows and low-lying objects in indoor and outdoor scenes using homographies

Many computer vision applications apply background suppression techniques for the detection and segmentation of moving objects in a scene. While these algorithms tend to work well in controlled conditions they often fail when applied to unconstrained real-world environments. This paper describes a system that detects and removes erroneously segmented foreground regions that are close to a ground plane. These regions include shadows, changing background objects and other low-lying objects such as leaves and rubbish. The system uses a set-up of two or more cameras and requires no 3D reconstruction or depth analysis of the regions. Therefore, a strong camera calibration of the set-up is not necessary. A geometric constraint called a homography is exploited to determine if foreground points are on or above the ground plane. The system takes advantage of the fact that regions in images off the homography plane will not correspond after a homography transformation. Experimental results using real world scenes from a pedestrian tracking application illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Optimization of sandwich-style SERS substrates for the detection of human skeletal tissue components

Detection of DNA from various sources is an essential and delicate process that plays a keyrole in the analysis of biological evidence. As such, the extraction of DNA from bone is awidely studied area in forensic science. Unfortunately, there is no standard pre-extractiontechnique to qualitatively assess the likelihood of obtaining a usable amount of high qualityDNA for genotyping. The purpose of this research is to lay the foundation for investigatingRaman spectroscopy and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as potentialdiagnostic tools for determining whether a bone sample contains viable DNA for genotyping.Herein, we present individual spectra of skeletal tissue and DNA components measuredusing both Raman spectroscopy and SERS. A previously studied fabrication method for aSERS substrate architecture, known as sandwich-style SERS substrates, was utilized for thisresearch. A key focus of this research was to optimize these substrates to enable to detectionof low concentrations of adenine, which serves as a Raman-active marker molecule for thedetection of DNA in various solutions. Several parameters were varied from the originalsubstrate fabrication method such as silver nanoparticle size, dispersion, and inter-particlespacing - the result of which yielded SERS substrates that led to the detection of adeninemolecules in a solution with a concentration as low as 10??8 M

Pedestrian detection using stereo and biometric information

A method for pedestrian detection from real world outdoor scenes is presented in this paper. The technique uses disparity information, ground plane estimation and biometric information based on the golden ratio. It can detect pedestrians even in the presence of severe occlusion or a lack of reliable disparity data. It also makes reliable choices in ambiguous areas since the pedestrian regions are initiated using the disparity of head regions. These are usually highly textured and unoccluded, and therefore more reliable in a disparity image than homogeneous or occluded regions

Phytoene Accumulation in the Novel Microalga Chlorococcum sp. Using the Pigment Synthesis Inhibitor Fluridone

Carotenoids are lipophilic pigments found in plants and algae, as well as some bacteria, archaea, and fungi that serve two functions—(1) as light harvesting molecules—primary carotenoids, and (2) as antioxidants, acting against reactive oxygen species–secondary carotenoids. Because of their strong antioxidant properties, they are also valuable for the development of anti-aging and photo-protective cosmetic applications. Of particular interest is the carotenoid phytoene, for its colorless and UV absorption characteristics. In this study, we targeted a reduction of phytoene desaturase (PDS) activity with the pigment-inhibiting herbicide 1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3- (trifluoromethyl)phenyl]pyridin-4-one (fluridone), which leads to the over-accumulation of phytoene in the recently characterized microalgal strain Chlorococcum sp. (UTEX B 3056). After post-incubation with fluridone, phytoene levels were measured at ~33 ug/mg cell tissue, as opposed to non-detectable levels in control cultures. Hence, the novel microalga Chlorococcum sp. is a viable candidate for the production of the high-value carotenoid phytoene and subsequent applications in cosmeceuticals, as well as more obvious nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications

Understanding student expectations in developing environmental science courses

Developing relevant and innovative University courses is a complex and often difficult task. This is particularly true when developing environmental science courses as the banner of environmental science has the potential to include an extremely vast array of subject material and course content. Added to this is the diversity of students entering these courses, and their associated course expectations and aspirations. A third component that cannot be ignored when developing courses includes employer demands and expectations of graduates at course completion. As tertiary educators we therefore have the challenge of developing innovative environmental science courses that are academically challenging, but meet the expectations of students, staff and potential future employers. To ensure that we meet this challenge it is vital that we determine the expectations of all relevant parties (students, staff, and potential employers) and develop our courses accordingly.&nbsp; Here we report on the \u27student expectations\u27 component of this. To determine student expectations we conducted a survey of all commencing first year environmental science students. The survey asked students to provide information on drivers for course selection, preferred learning styles, the importance of different approaches to teaching, subject interest areas and employment aspirations. Our results found that environmental science students have a preference for fieldwork and hands-on experience and are very supportive of teaching that combines different teaching methods. On-line teaching was not supported by commencing environmental science students. Commencing students showed a very strong interest in key subject areas of environmental science such as Wildlife, animal conservation, national and marine parks, conservation and marine Wildlife; however, some of the critical areas of environmental science such as population statistics, social sciences and chemistry did not attract the same level of interest. Most commencing students had some idea on where they would like to gain employment on course completion. Knowledge relating to student expectations is Vital, particularly when designing courses, developing specific unit content and undertaking marketing and course information sessions. With this knowledge we can be confident that students enrolling in environmental science will, to a large extent, have their expectations met.<br /

Automated data analysis to rapidly derive and communicate ecological insights from satellite-tag data: A case study of reintroduced red kites

Analysis of satellite-telemetry data mostly occurs long after it has been collected, due to the time and effort needed to collate and interpret such material. Such delayed reporting does reduce the usefulness of such data for nature conservation when timely information about animal movements is required. To counter this problem we present a novel approach which combines automated analysis of satellite-telemetry data with rapid communication of insights derived from such data. A relatively simple algorithm (comprising speed of movement and turning angle calculated from fixes), allowed instantaneous detection of excursions away from settlement areas and automated calculation of home ranges on the remaining data Automating the detection of both excursions and home range calculations enabled us to disseminate ecological insights from satellite-tag data instantaneously through a dedicated web portal to inform conservationists and wider audiences. We recommend automated analysis, interpretation and communication of satellite tag and other ecological data to advance nature conservation research and practice