5,928 research outputs found
Criminal neighbourhoods: does the density of prior offenders encourage others to commit crime?
Using crime data over a period of a decade for Glasgow, this paper explores whether the
density of prior offenders in a neighbourhoods has an influence on the propensity of others to
(re)commence offending. The study shows that the number of ‘newly active’ offenders in a
neighbourhood in the current quarter is positively associated with the density of prior
offenders for both violent and property crime from the previous two years. In the case of
‘newly active’ property offenders, the relationship with active prior offenders is only
apparent when prior offender counts exceed the median. The paper postulates that intraneighbourhood
social mechanisms may be at work to create these effects. The results suggest
that policies which concentrate offenders in particular neighbourhoods may increase the
number of ‘newly active’ offenders, and point to evidence of a threshold at which these
effects take place
Full-body motion-based game interaction for older adults
Older adults in nursing homes often lead sedentary lifestyles, which reduces their life expectancy. Full-body motion-control games provide an opportunity for these adults to remain active and engaged; these games are not designed with age-related impairments in mind, which prevents the games from being leveraged to increase the activity levels of older adults. In this paper, we present two studies aimed at developing game design guidelines for full-body motion controls for older adults experiencing age-related changes and impairments. Our studies also demonstrate how full-body motion-control games can accommodate a variety of user abilities, have a positive effect on mood and, by extension, the emotional well-being of older adults. Based on our studies, we present seven guidelines for the design of full-body interaction in games. The guidelines are designed to foster safe physical activity among older adults, thereby increasing their quality of life. Copyright 2012 ACM
Comparison of in situ aerosol measurements with SAGE 2 and SAM 2 aerosol measurements during the airborne Antarctic ozone experiment
Models indicate that stratospheric aerosols play a major role in the destruction of ozone during the Austral winter. Although many in situ measurements of stratospheric aerosols were made during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment, changes of aerosol concentration and size distributions across the polar vortex are important to understanding changes of chemical species taking place during this time. Therefore comparing the in situ measurements with measurements made by satellites scanning wider areas will give a clearer picture of the possible role played by aerosols during this period. The wire impactor size distributions are compared to those from the aerosol spectrometers and a best fit size distribution determined. Aerosol extinctions are calculated from the in situ measurements and compared to the extinctions measured by the satellites. Five comparisons are made with SAGE 2 and four with SAM 2. Extinctions agree as close as a factor of two
Improved simulation of aerosol, cloud, and density measurements by shuttle lidar
Data retrievals are simulated for a Nd:YAG lidar suitable for early flight on the space shuttle. Maximum assumed vertical and horizontal resolutions are 0.1 and 100 km, respectively, in the boundary layer, increasing to 2 and 2000 km in the mesosphere. Aerosol and cloud retrievals are simulated using 1.06 and 0.53 microns wavelengths independently. Error sources include signal measurement, conventional density information, atmospheric transmission, and lidar calibration. By day, tenuous clouds and Saharan and boundary layer aerosols are retrieved at both wavelengths. By night, these constituents are retrieved, plus upper tropospheric, stratospheric, and mesospheric aerosols and noctilucent clouds. Density, temperature, and improved aerosol and cloud retrievals are simulated by combining signals at 0.35, 1.06, and 0.53 microns. Particlate contamination limits the technique to the cloud free upper troposphere and above. Error bars automatically show effect of this contamination, as well as errors in absolute density nonmalization, reference temperature or pressure, and the sources listed above. For nonvolcanic conditions, relative density profiles have rms errors of 0.54 to 2% in the upper troposphere and stratosphere. Temperature profiles have rms errors of 1.2 to 2.5 K and can define the tropopause to 0.5 km and higher wave structures to 1 or 2 km
The photospheric solar oxygen project: III. Investigation of the centre-to-limb variation of the 630nm [OI]-NiI blend
The solar photospheric abundance of oxygen is still a matter of debate. For
about ten years some determinations have favoured a low oxygen abundance which
is at variance with the value inferred by helioseismology. Among the oxygen
abundance indicators, the forbidden line at 630nm has often been considered the
most reliable even though it is blended with a NiI line. In Papers I and Paper
II of this series we reported a discrepancy in the oxygen abundance derived
from the 630nm and the subordinate [OI] line at 636nm in dwarf stars, including
the Sun. Here we analyse several, in part new, solar observations of the the
centre-to-limb variation of the spectral region including the blend at 630nm in
order to separate the individual contributions of oxygen and nickel. We analyse
intensity spectra observed at different limb angles in comparison with line
formation computations performed on a CO5BOLD 3D hydrodynamical simulation of
the solar atmosphere. The oxygen abundances obtained from the forbidden line at
different limb angles are inconsistent if the commonly adopted nickel abundance
of 6.25 is assumed in our local thermodynamic equilibrium computations. With a
slightly lower nickel abundance, A(Ni)~6.1, we obtain consistent fits
indicating an oxygen abundance of A(O)=8.73+/-0.05. At this value the
discrepancy with the subordinate oxygen line remains. The derived value of the
oxygen abundance supports the notion of a rather low oxygen abundance in the
solar hotosphere. However, it is disconcerting that the forbidden oxygen lines
at 630 and 636nm give noticeably different results, and that the nickel
abundance derived here from the 630nm blend is lower than expected from other
nickel lines.Comment: to appear in A&
Sensitivity and specificity of the distress impact thermometer for the detection of psychological distress among CRC survivors
Magnetic properties of photospheric regions having very low magnetic flux
The magnetic properties of the quiet Sun are investigated using a novel
inversion code, FATIMA, based on the Principal Component Analysis of the
observed Stokes profiles. The stability and relatively low noise sensitivity of
this inversion procedure allows for the systematic inversion of large data sets
with very weak polarization signal. Its application to quiet Sun observations
of network and internetwork regions reveals that a significant fraction of the
quiet Sun contains kilogauss fields (usually with very small filling factors)
and confirms that the pixels with weak polarization account for most of the
magnetic flux. Mixed polarities in the resolution element are also found to
occur more likely as the polarization weakens.Comment: To apapear in ApJ. 39 pages, 12 figures (2 of them are color figures
Mid-Infrared Imaging of the Bipolar Planetary Nebula M2-9 from SOFIA
We have imaged the bipolar planetary nebula M2-9 using SOFIA's FORCAST
instrument in six wavelength bands between 6.6 and 37.1 . A bright
central point source, unresolved with SOFIA's 4-to-5 beam,
is seen at each wavelength, and the extended bipolar lobes are clearly seen at
19.7 and beyond. The photometry between 10 and 25 is well fit
by the emission predicted from a stratified disk seen at large inclination, as
has been proposed for this source by Lykou et al and by Smith and Gehrz. The
principal new results in this paper relate to the distribution and properties
of the dust that emits the infrared radiation. In particular, a considerable
fraction of this material is spread uniformly through the lobes, although the
dust density does increase at the sharp outer edge seen in higher resolution
optical images of M2-9. The dust grain population in the lobes shows that small
( 1 ) particles appear to be present in
roughly equal amounts by mass. We suggest that collisional processing within
the bipolar outflow plays an important role in establishing the particle size
distribution.Comment: 40 pages, 9 figures, 2 table
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