10,187 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Modelling fixed plant and algal dynamics in rivers: an application to the River Frome
The development of eutrophication in river systems is poorly understood given the complex relationship between fixed plants, algae, hydrodynamics, water chemistry and solar radiation. However there is a pressing need to understand the relationship between the ecological status of
rivers and the controlling environmental factors to help the reasoned implementation of the Water Framework Directive and Catchment Sensitive Farming in the UK. This research aims to create a dynamic, process-based, mathematical in-stream model to simulate the growth and competition of different vegetation types (macrophytes, phytoplankton and benthic algae) in rivers. The model,
applied to the River Frome (Dorset, UK), captured well the seasonality of simulated vegetation types (suspended algae, macrophytes, epiphytes, sediment biofilm). Macrophyte results showed that local knowledge is important for explaining unusual changes in biomass. Fixed algae simulations indicated the need for the more detailed representation of various herbivorous grazer groups,
however this would increase the model complexity, the number of model parameters and the required observation data to better define the model. The model results also highlighted that simulating only phytoplankton is insufficient in river systems, because the majority of the suspended algae have benthic origin in short retention time rivers. Therefore, there is a need for modelling tools that link the benthic and free-floating habitats
Pandemics and Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry into how the Covid-19 Pandemic has Affected the Companion Animal Industry in Northwest Arkansas
Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, industries have been impacted globally. The companion animal care industry has not received much recognition in mainstream news, and as pandemic stressors increased individual facilities such as animal rescues, shelters, day care and boarding facilities felt the pressures associated with it. Little is known about the long-term effects of the pandemic on these facilities and how companion animal care may have changed. The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day impacts and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the companion animal industry in Northwest Arkansas from early 2020 to 2021. This study recruited participants from animal daycare and boarding facilities, shelters, and rescue organization facilities in Northwest Arkansas, and used a non-experimental survey research design. Twenty-eight facilities were contacted and six agreed to participate. Results showed an overall decrease in the number of clients and animals requiring services in 2020, but in 2021 these numbers increased. Open response analysis showed that non-profit organizations were not subject to the same mandated shutdowns as other businesses, which was an unexpected finding. The results also showed a brief increase in the number of pet surrenders and abandonments, followed by a notable increase in the number of pet adoptions and foster home applications at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and its related quarantine and restrictions
Search for the second forbidden beta decay of 8B to the ground state of 8Be
A significant decay branch of 8B to the ground state of 8Be would extend the
solar neutrino spectrum to higher energies than anticipated in the standard
solar models. These high-energy neutrinos would affect current neutrino
oscillation results and also would be a background to measurements of the hep
process. We have measured the delayed alpha particles from the decay of 8B,
with the goal of observing the two 46-keV alpha particles arising from the
ground-state decay. The 8B was produced using an in-flight radioactive beam
technique. It was implanted in a silicon PIN-diode detector that was capable of
identifying the alpha-particles from the 8Be ground state. From this
measurement we find an upper limit (at 90% confidence level) of 7.3 x 10^{-5}
for the branching ratio to the ground state. In addition to describing this
measurement, we present a theoretical calculation for this branching ratio.Comment: One reference corrected. Minor edits in tex
Micromagnetic simulations of interacting dipoles on a fcc lattice: Application to nanoparticle assemblies
Micromagnetic simulations are used to examine the effects of cubic and axial
anisotropy, magnetostatic interactions and temperature on M-H loops for a
collection of magnetic dipoles on fcc and sc lattices. We employ a simple model
of interacting dipoles that represent single-domain particles in an attempt to
explain recent experimental data on ordered arrays of magnetoferritin
nanoparticles that demonstrate the crucial role of interactions between
particles in a fcc lattice. Significant agreement between the simulation and
experimental results is achieved, and the impact of intra-particle degrees of
freedom and surface effects on thermal fluctuations are investigated.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Classification of unit-vector fields in convex polyhedra with tangent boundary conditions
A unit-vector field n on a convex three-dimensional polyhedron P is tangent
if, on the faces of P, n is tangent to the faces. A homotopy classification of
tangent unit-vector fields continuous away from the vertices of P is given. The
classification is determined by certain invariants, namely edge orientations
(values of n on the edges of P), kink numbers (relative winding numbers of n
between edges on the faces of P), and wrapping numbers (relative degrees of n
on surfaces separating the vertices of P), which are subject to certain sum
rules. Another invariant, the trapped area, is expressed in terms of these. One
motivation for this study comes from liquid crystal physics; tangent
unit-vector fields describe the orientation of liquid crystals in certain
polyhedral cells.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figure
Primitive Words, Free Factors and Measure Preservation
Let F_k be the free group on k generators. A word w \in F_k is called
primitive if it belongs to some basis of F_k. We investigate two criteria for
primitivity, and consider more generally, subgroups of F_k which are free
factors.
The first criterion is graph-theoretic and uses Stallings core graphs: given
subgroups of finite rank H \le J \le F_k we present a simple procedure to
determine whether H is a free factor of J. This yields, in particular, a
procedure to determine whether a given element in F_k is primitive.
Again let w \in F_k and consider the word map w:G x G x ... x G \to G (from
the direct product of k copies of G to G), where G is an arbitrary finite
group. We call w measure preserving if given uniform measure on G x G x ... x
G, w induces uniform measure on G (for every finite G). This is the second
criterion we investigate: it is not hard to see that primitivity implies
measure preservation and it was conjectured that the two properties are
equivalent. Our combinatorial approach to primitivity allows us to make
progress on this problem and in particular prove the conjecture for k=2.
It was asked whether the primitive elements of F_k form a closed set in the
profinite topology of free groups. Our results provide a positive answer for
F_2.Comment: This is a unified version of two manuscripts: "On Primitive words I:
A New Algorithm", and "On Primitive Words II: Measure Preservation". 42
pages, 14 figures. Some parts of the paper reorganized towards publication in
the Israel J. of Mat
Listening and learning : the reciprocal relationship between worker and client
The relationship between worker and client has for the best part of 100 years been the mainstay of probation, and yet has recently been eroded by an increased emphasis on punishment, blame and managerialism. The views of offenders are in direct contradiction to these developments within the criminal justice system and this article argues that only by taking account of the views of those at the 'coal face' will criminologists, policy makers and practitioners be able to effect real change in crime rates. The article thus focuses on the views of a sample of previously persistent offenders in Scotland about offending, desistance and how the system can help them. It explores not only their need for friendship and support in youth but also the close association between relationships and the likelihood of offending. It also demonstrates the views of offenders themselves about the importance of the working relationship with supervising officers in helping them desist from crime. The article concludes that the most effective way of reducing offending is to re-engage with the message of the Probation Act of 100 years ago, namely, to 'advise, assist and befriend' offenders rather than to 'confront, challenge and change' offending behaviour
Effects of Carbohydrates on Landing Mechanics and Postural Stability During Intermittent High-Intensity Exercise to Fatigue
Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title
- âŠ