3,395 research outputs found
Pulse Amplitude and Width Detector-Patent
Electrical testing apparatus for detecting amplitude and width of transient puls
Pulse rise time and amplitude detector Patent
Development and characteristics of electric circuitry for detecting electrical pulses rise time and amplitud
Pre-Season Prediction of Sockeye Salmon Runs on the Skeena River
Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhychrus nerka) of the Skeena River (British Columbia, Canada) display a high variability in population parameters from year to year. Investigation into the mechanisms which generate these variabilities is not only of benefit to the biologist in understanding the living system, but is also of great importance to the fishermen and his livelihood.
It is the intent of this paper to outline the problem and to report results obtained in investigating some of the parameters of the sockeye population as part of the IIASA ecology project's case study on pacific salmon
On the use of variability time-scales as an early classifier of radio transients and variables
We have shown previously that a broad correlation between the peak radio
luminosity and the variability time-scales, approximately L ~ t^5, exists for
variable synchrotron emitting sources and that different classes of
astrophysical source occupy different regions of luminosity and time-scale
space. Based on those results, we investigate whether the most basic
information available for a newly discovered radio variable or transient -
their rise and/or decline rate - can be used to set initial constraints on the
class of events from which they originate. We have analysed a sample of ~ 800
synchrotron flares, selected from light-curves of ~ 90 sources observed at 5-8
GHz, representing a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, from flare stars to
supermassive black holes. Selection of outbursts from the noisy radio
light-curves has been done automatically in order to ensure reproducibility of
results. The distribution of rise/decline rates for the selected flares is
modelled as a Gaussian probability distribution for each class of object, and
further convolved with estimated areal density of that class in order to
correct for the strong bias in our sample. We show in this way that comparing
the measured variability time-scale of a radio transient/variable of unknown
origin can provide an early, albeit approximate, classification of the object,
and could form part of a suite of measurements used to provide early
categorisation of such events. Finally, we also discuss the effect
scintillating sources will have on our ability to classify events based on
their variability time-scales.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Standardised library instruction assessment: an institution-specific approach
Introduction We explore the use of a psychometric model for locally-relevant, information literacy assessment, using an online tool for standardised assessment of student learning during discipline-based library instruction sessions.
Method A quantitative approach to data collection and analysis was used, employing standardised multiple-choice survey questions followed by individual, cognitive interviews with undergraduate students. The assessment tool was administered to five general education psychology classes during library instruction sessions.
AnalysisDescriptive statistics were generated by the assessment tool. Results. The assessment tool proved a feasible means of measuring student learning. While student scores improved on every survey question, there was uneven improvement from pre-test to post-test for different questions.
Conclusion Student scores showed more improvement for some learning outcomes over others, thus, spending time on fewer concepts during instruction sessions would enable more reliable evaluation of student learning. We recommend using digital learning objects that address basic research skills to enhance library instruction programmes. Future studies will explore different applications of the assessment tool, provide more detailed statistical analysis of the data and shed additional light on the significance of overall scores
Assessment of Different Seed Mixture Planting using Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) as Environmental Indicators along a Disturbance Corridor in Lawrence County, Kentucky
A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Michelle M. Staley on April 30, 2010
Advanced Centaur explicit guidance equation study Final report
Generalized equations and in-flight computer requirements for Centaur guidance and control and advanced mission plannin
Immune responses of wild birds to emerging infectious diseases
Over the past several decades, outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in wild birds have attracted worldwide media attention, either because of their extreme virulence or because of alarming spillovers into agricultural animals or humans. The pathogens involved have been found to infect a variety of bird hosts ranging from relatively few species (e.g. Trichomonas gallinae) to hundreds of species (e.g. West Nile Virus). Here we review and contrast the immune responses that wild birds are able to mount against these novel pathogens. We discuss the extent to which these responses are associated with reduced clinical symptoms, pathogen load and mortality, or conversely, how they can be linked to worsened pathology and reduced survival. We then investigate how immune responses to EIDs can evolve over time in response to pathogen-driven selection using the illustrative case study of the epizootic outbreak of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in wild North American house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). We highlight the need for future work to take advantage of the substantial inter- and intraspecific variation in disease progression and outcome following infections with EID to elucidate the extent to which immune responses confer increased resistance through pathogen clearance or may instead heighten pathogenesis.Auburn UniversityNatural Environment Research Council grant (NERC
A framework for determining orthologues gene-drug targets based upon function, evolutionary selection rate, and physiological location.
Master of ScienceDepartment of Diagnostic Medicine/PathobiologyWyckoff, Gerald J.The study of speciation, as a concept, existed prior to the elucidation of natural selection as the mechanism of evolution. However, speciation became a topic of scientific discourse starting primarily after the foundation of the modern synthesis. These disciplines operated independently; however, leading to the development of multiple theories of speciation. Some of the first efforts to consolidate speciation theory originated with the Biological Species Concept and the Modern Thesis, collectively introducing major factors of speciation (i.e. habitat, genealogy, evolutionary pressure, etc.) (1–3) To clearly define a species, a concise, reusable framework is urgently needed in the life sciences; specifically, translational and comparative medicine. Each of these fields depends on identifying suitable species to 1) develop a new treatment based on laboratory animal studies or 2) to take an existing treatment in humans and use it in animals. This is a major concern for pharmaceutical development research. The challenge of identifying a suitable species is complex due to a lack of a framework that allows for the comparison of species on the gene-gene level. Due to this complexity, gene-gene comparison is ignored which can lead to failure in a drug development trial. Subsequently, the cost to the development organization in both time and resources, and to society for lack of new and effective treatments, maybe great. With the proposed clearly defined, reusable framework, researchers would be able to find orthologues disease genes in animals ensuring that those genes are operating within the same cellular milieu and comparable physiology. For this reason, we have implemented a tool that calculates the evolutionary stability of the gene represented by the ratio /. This ratio can be used to find conserved genes across multiple species and assist in the determination of whether that gene is a good candidate for drug targeting and in which species the gene exists. In order to meet the needs of researchers in the field; we began integrating
GenBank, KEGG, and Refseq, with this tool, to allow those in the field to easily search across species
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