2,605 research outputs found
TB55: Food Lists of Hippodamia (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Food lists for Hippodamia iredecimpunctata (Linnaeus) and the genus Hippodamia as reported in the literature are given. A complete list of citations is included.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1150/thumbnail.jp
Towards the prediction of critical transitions in spatially extended populations with cubical homology
The prediction of critical transitions, such as extinction events, is vitally
important to preserving vulnerable populations in the face of a rapidly
changing climate and continuously increasing human resource usage. Predicting
such events in spatially distributed populations is challenging because of the
high dimensionality of the system and the complexity of the system dynamics.
Here, we reduce the dimensionality of the problem by quantifying spatial
patterns via Betti numbers ( and ), which count particular
topological features in a topological space. Spatial patterns representing
regions occupied by the population are analyzed in a coupled patch population
model with Ricker map growth and nearest-neighbors dispersal on a
two-dimensional lattice. We illustrate how Betti numbers can be used to
characterize spatial patterns by type, which in turn may be used to track
spatiotemporal changes via Betti number time series and characterize asymptotic
dynamics of the model parameter space. En route to a global extinction event,
we find that the Betti number time series of a population exhibits
characteristic changes. We hope these preliminary results will be used to aide
in the prediction of critical transitions in spatially extended systems.
Additional applications of this technique include analysis of spatial data
(e.g., GIS) and model validation.Comment: Published in Contemporary Mathematics: Dynamical Systems and Random
Processes, Volume 736, 201
Coupling an ocean wave model to an atmospheric general circulation model
A coupled model, consisting of an ocean wave model and an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), is integrated under permanent July conditions. The wave model is forced by the AGCM wind stress, whereas the wind waves modify the AGCM surface fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent heat. We investigate the following aspects of the coupled model: how realistic are the wave fields, how strong is the coupling, and how sensitive is the atmospheric circulation to the spatially and temporally varying wave field. The wave climatology of the coupled model compares favorably with observational data. The interaction between the two models is largest (although weak) in the storm track in the Southern Hemisphere. Young windsea, which is associated with enhanced surface fluxes is generated mostly in the equatorward “frontal” area of an individual cyclone. However, the enhancement of the surface fluxes is too small to significantly modify the climatological mean atmospheric circulation
Parametric uncertainty effects on aerosol radiative forcing
Among the known radiative forcings, the fourth IPCC assessment report estimates the aerosol radiative forcing to harbor the widest range of uncertainty extending from -1.8 to -0.3 W/m(2). The IPCC estimates focus mainly on structural uncertainties, including uncertainties in aerosol sources. Here, we study the uncertainty of the sulfate aerosol radiative forcing due to parametric uncertainty in a state-of-the-art general circulation model (GCM). Numerical experiments were carried out by perturbing seven cloud parameters in the model. We find that the uncertainty due to a single one of these parameters can be as large as 0.5 W/m(2), and the uncertainty due to combinations of these parameters can reach more than 1 W/m(2). These numbers should be compared with the sulfate aerosol forcing of -1.9 W/m(2) for the year 2000, obtained using the default values of the parameters. The uncertainty results from a high sensitivity of cloud optical properties to aerosol concentrations, which can be amplified by changing cloud parameter setting
Paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder and depressive symptoms: clinical correlates and CBT treatment outcomes.
Depression frequently co-occurs with paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet the clinical correlates and impact of depression on CBT outcomes remain unclear. The prevalence and clinical correlates of depression were examined in a paediatric specialist OCD-clinic sample (N = 295; Mean = 15 [7 - 18] years, 42 % female), using both dimensional (Beck Depression Inventory-youth; n = 261) and diagnostic (Development and Wellbeing Assessment; n = 127) measures of depression. The impact of depressive symptoms and suspected disorders on post-treatment OCD severity was examined in a sub-sample who received CBT, with or without SSRI medication (N = 100). Fifty-one per-cent of patients reported moderately or extremely elevated depressive symptoms and 26 % (95 % CI: 18 - 34) met criteria for a suspected depressive disorder. Depressive symptoms and depressive disorders were associated with worse OCD symptom severity and global functioning prior to CBT. Individuals with depression were more likely to be female, have had a psychiatric inpatient admission and less likely to be attending school (ps < 0.01). OCD and depressive symptom severity significantly decreased after CBT. Depressive symptoms and depressive disorders predicted worse post-treatment OCD severity (βs = 0.19 and 0.26, ps < 0.05) but became non-significant when controlling for pre-treatment OCD severity (βs = 0.05 and 0.13, ns). Depression is common in paediatric OCD and is associated with more severe OCD and poorer functioning. However, depression severity decreases over the course of CBT for OCD and is not independently associated with worse outcomes, supporting the recommendation for treatment as usual in the presence of depressive symptoms
Efeito de diferentes tecnologias de armazenamento na qualidade de maçãs.
O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar as mudanças fĂsico-quĂmicas, sensoriais e moleculares associadas Ă s condições de armazenamento e a relação dessas caracterĂsticas com a perda de qualidade em maçãs
Uso de microarrays para a análise do perfil transcricional em polpa de maçã cv. Gala frente ao armazenamento refrigerado e ao uso do 1-metilciclopropeno.
O presente trabalho utilizou a técnica de microarrays para o estudo da influência do 1-metilciclopropeno (1-MCP) e do AR sobre o perfil transcricional de polpa de maçã 'Gala' armazenada por 60 dias
Early respiratory viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis
This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Background
Viral infections contribute to morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the impact of respiratory viruses on the development of airway disease is poorly understood.
Methods
Infants with CF identified by newborn screening were enrolled prior to 4 months of age to participate in a prospective observational study at 4 centers. Clinical data were collected at clinic visits and weekly phone calls. Multiplex PCR assays were performed on nasopharyngeal swabs to detect respiratory viruses during routine visits and when symptomatic. Participants underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and a subset underwent pulmonary function testing. We present findings through 8.5 months of life.
Results
Seventy infants were enrolled, mean age 3.1 ± 0.8 months. Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (66%), followed by parainfluenza (19%), and coronavirus (16%). Participants had a median of 1.5 viral positive swabs (range 0–10). Past viral infection was associated with elevated neutrophil concentrations and bacterial isolates in BAL fluid, including recovery of classic CF bacterial pathogens. When antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory-related indications, viruses were identified in 52% of those instances.
Conclusions
Early viral infections were associated with greater neutrophilic inflammation and bacterial pathogens. Early viral infections appear to contribute to initiation of lower airway inflammation in infants with CF. Antibiotics were commonly prescribed in the setting of a viral infection. Future investigations examining longitudinal relationships between viral infections, airway microbiome, and antibiotic use will allow us to elucidate the interplay between these factors in young children with CF
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