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On Unit Free Assessment of The Extent of Multilateral Distributional Variation
Multilateral comparison of outcomes drawn from multiple groups pervade the social sciences and measurement of their variability, usually involving functions of respective group location and scale parameters, is of intrinsic interest. However, such approaches frequently mask more fundamental differences that more comprehensive examination of relative group distributional structures reveal. Indeed, in categorical data contexts, location and scale based techniques are no longer feasible without artificial and questionable cardinalization of categories. Here, Ginis' Transvariation measure is extended and employed in providing quantitative and visual multilateral comparison tools in discrete, continuous, categorical, univariate or multivariate settings which are particularly useful in paradigms where cardinal measure is absent. Two applications, one analyzing Eurozone cohesion in terms of the convergence or divergence of constituent nations income distributions, the other, drawn from a study of aging, health and income inequality in China, exemplify their use in a continuous and categorical data environment
Evidence For Mixed Helicity in Erupting Filaments
Erupting filaments are sometimes observed to undergo a rotation about the
vertical direction as they rise. This rotation of the filament axis is
generally interpreted as a conversion of twist into writhe in a kink-unstable
magnetic flux rope. Consistent with this interpretation, the rotation is
usually found to be clockwise (as viewed from above) if the post-eruption
arcade has right-handed helicity, but counterclockwise if it has left-handed
helicity. Here, we describe two non--active-region filament events recorded
with the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the {\it Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory} ({\it SOHO}), in which the sense of rotation appears
to be opposite to that expected from the helicity of the post-event arcade.
Based on these observations, we suggest that the rotation of the filament axis
is in general determined by the net helicity of the erupting system, and that
the axially aligned core of the filament can have the opposite helicity sign to
the surrounding field. In most cases, the surrounding field provides the main
contribution to the net helicity. In the events reported here, however, the
helicity associated with the filament ``barbs'' is opposite in sign to and
dominates that of the overlying arcade.Comment: ApJ, accepte
Smarter irrigation scheduling in the sugarcane farming system using the Internet of Things
Better irrigation practices can lead to improved yields through less water stress and reduced water usage to deliver economic benefits for farmers. More and more sugarcane growers are transitioning to automated irrigation in the Burdekin and other regions. Automated irrigation systems can save farmers a significant amount of time by remotely turning on and off pumps and valves. However, the system could be improved if it could be integrated with tools that factor in the weather, crop growing conditions, water deficit, and crop stress, to improve irrigation use efficiency. IrrigWeb is a decision-support tool that is turned to as a solution to this problem. IrrigWeb uses CANEGRO to help farmers decide when to irrigate and how much to apply. Farmers can then use this information to plan their irrigation management. However, managing irrigation is a considerable time investment for Burdekin farmers. A tool is needed to integrate the auto-irrigation system (e.g., WiSA) and IrrigWeb to provide a smarter irrigation solution. An uplink program (WiSA to IrrigWeb) has been successfully developed and implemented as part of a pilot study. It saves farmers a significant amount of time by uploading irrigation and rainfall data automatically instead of the farmer having to input them manually. This paper focuses on developing a smarter irrigation-scheduling tool that connects IrrigWeb to WiSA. A downlink program was developed to download, calculate and apply irrigation schedules automatically. In this process, sugarcane irrigators will spend less time manually setting up irrigation schedules as it will happen automatically. The simulation results demonstrated that the downlink program could improve the scheduling by incorporating practical limitations, such as pumping capacity or pumping time constraints, that are found on the farm
Reduced Macrophage Apoptosis is Associated with Accelerated Atherosclerosis in Low-Denstiy Lipoprotein Receptor-Null Mice
Objective— The majority of apoptotic cells in atherosclerotic lesions are macrophages. However, the pathogenic role of macrophage apoptosis in the development of atherosclerosis remains unclear. Elevated expression of Bax, one of the pivotal proapoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family, has been found in human atherosclerotic plaques. Activation of Bax also occurs in free cholesterol-loaded and oxysterol-treated mouse macrophages. In this study, we examined the effect of Bax deficiency in bone marrow-derived leukocytes on the development of atherosclerosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor-null (LDLR−/−) mice. Methods and Results— Fourteen 8-week-old male LDLR−/− mice were lethally irradiated and reconstituted with either wild-type (WT) C57BL6 or Bax-null (Bax−/−) bone marrow. Three weeks later, the mice were challenged with a Western diet for 10 weeks. No differences were found in the plasma cholesterol level between the WT and Bax−/− group. However, quantitation of cross sections from proximal aorta revealed a 49.2% increase (P=0.0259) in the mean lesion area of the Bax−/− group compared with the WT group. A 53% decrease in apoptotic macrophages in the Bax−/− group was found by TUNEL staining (P\u3c0.05). Conclusions— The reduction of apoptotic activity in macrophages stimulates atherosclerosis in LDLR−/− mice, which is consistent with the hypothesis that macrophage apoptosis suppresses the development of atherosclerosis
Publisher Correction: Towards an ecosystem model of infectious disease
Correction to: Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01454-8, published online 17 May 2021
Towards an ecosystem model of infectious disease
Increasingly intimate associations between human society and the natural environment are driving the emergence of novel pathogens, with devastating consequences for humans and animals alike. Prior to emergence, these pathogens exist within complex ecological systems that are characterized by trophic interactions between parasites, their hosts and the environment. Predicting how disturbance to these ecological systems places people and animals at risk from emerging pathogens-and the best ways to manage this-remains a significant challenge. Predictive systems ecology models are powerful tools for the reconstruction of ecosystem function but have yet to be considered for modelling infectious disease. Part of this stems from a mistaken tendency to forget about the role that pathogens play in structuring the abundance and interactions of the free-living species favoured by systems ecologists. Here, we explore how developing and applying these more complete systems ecology models at a landscape scale would greatly enhance our understanding of the reciprocal interactions between parasites, pathogens and the environment, placing zoonoses in an ecological context, while identifying key variables and simplifying assumptions that underly pathogen host switching and animal-to-human spillover risk. As well as transforming our understanding of disease ecology, this would also allow us to better direct resources in preparation for future pandemics
Mechanical properties and microstructure characterization of Eurofer97 steel variants in EUROfusion program
The X10 Flare on 2003 October 29: Triggered by Magnetic Reconnection between Counter-Helical Fluxes?
Vector magnetograms taken at Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS) and Mees
Solar Observatory (MSO) reveal that the super active region (AR) NOAA 10486 was
a complex region containing current helicity flux of opposite signs. The main
positive sunspots were dominated by negative helicity fields, while positive
helicity patches persisted both inside and around the main positive sunspots.
Based on a comparison of two days of deduced current helicity density,
pronounced changes were noticed which were associated with the occurrence of an
X10 flare that peaked at 20:49 UT, 2003 October 29. The average current
helicity density (negative) of the main sunspots decreased significantly by
about 50. Accordingly, the helicity densities of counter-helical patches
(positive) were also found to decay by the same proportion or more. In
addition, two hard X-ray (HXR) `footpoints' were observed by the Reuven Ramaty
High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI} during the flare in the 50-100
keV energy range. The cores of these two HXR footpoints were adjacent to the
positions of two patches with positive current helicity which disappeared after
the flare. This strongly suggested that the X10 flare on 2003 Oct. 29 resulted
from reconnection between magnetic flux tubes having opposite current helicity.
Finally, the global decrease of current helicity in AR 10486 by ~50% can be
understood as the helicity launched away by the halo coronal mass ejection
(CME) associated with the X10 flare.Comment: Solar Physics, 2007, in pres
Superconductivity in a Mesoscopic Double Square Loop: Effect of Imperfections
We have generalized the network approach to include the effects of
short-range imperfections in order to analyze recent experiments on mesoscopic
superconducting double loops. The presence of weakly scattering imperfections
causes gaps in the phase boundary or for certain intervals of
, which depend on the magnetic flux penetrating each loop. This is
accompanied by a critical temperature , showing a smooth transition
between symmetric and antisymmetric states. When the scattering strength of
imperfections increases beyond a certain limit, gaps in the phase boundary
or appear for values of magnetic flux lying in intervals
around half-integer . The critical temperature corresponding to
these values of magnetic flux is determined mainly by imperfections in the
central branch. The calculated phase boundary is in good agreement with
experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Water wave propagation and scattering over topographical bottoms
Here I present a general formulation of water wave propagation and scattering
over topographical bottoms. A simple equation is found and is compared with
existing theories. As an application, the theory is extended to the case of
water waves in a column with many cylindrical steps
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