Higgs Boson equation in de Sitter spacetime: Numerical investigation of bubbles using GPUs

The Higgs field, along with its corresponding boson, represent a milestone for modern day particle physics. In this work we consider the Higgs boson equation in de Sitter spacetime. Previous work by K. Yagdjian [23] has formulated sufficient conditions for the existence of the zeros of global solutions in the interior of their supports. In searching for such solutions, we turn to heterogeneous parallel computing, which allows for faster computation through graphical processing units (GPUs). Armed with general-purpose computation on graphics hardware (GPGPU) techniques and explicit numerical schemes, we approximate solutions of the equation for the Higgs boson along with the creation, growth, and interaction of the zeros, or bubbles

Adaptive Edge-Oriented Shot Boundary Detection

We study the problem of video shot boundary detection using an adaptive edge-oriented framework. Our approach is distinct in its use of multiple multilevel features in the required processing. Adaptation is provided by a careful analysis of these multilevel features, based on shot variability. We consider three levels of adaptation: at the feature extraction stage using locally-adaptive edge maps, at the video sequence level, and at the individual shot level. We show how to provide adaptive parameters for the multilevel edge-based approach, and how to determine adaptive thresholds for the shot boundaries based on the characteristics of the particular shot being indexed. The result is a fast adaptive scheme that provides a slightly better performance in terms of robustness, and a five fold efficiency improvement in shot characterization and classification. The reported work has applications beyond direct video indexing, and could be used in real-time applications, such as in dynamic monitoring and modeling of video data traffic in multimedia communications, and in real-time video surveillance. Experimental results are included

A large multi-ethnic genome-wide association study identifies novel genetic loci for intraocular pressure.

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness. IOP heritability has been estimated to up to 67%, and to date only 11 IOP loci have been reported, accounting for 1.5% of IOP variability. Here, we conduct a genome-wide association study of IOP in 69,756 untreated individuals of European, Latino, Asian, and African ancestry. Multiple longitudinal IOP measurements were collected through electronic health records and, in total, 356,987 measurements were included. We identify 47 genome-wide significant IOP-associated loci (P < 5 × 10-8); of the 40 novel loci, 14 replicate at Bonferroni significance in an external genome-wide association study analysis of 37,930 individuals of European and Asian descent. We further examine their effect on the risk of glaucoma within our discovery sample. Using longitudinal IOP measurements from electronic health records improves our power to identify new variants, which together explain 3.7% of IOP variation

Effects of urbanisation and a wastewater treatment plant on microplastic densities along a subtropical river system

Global freshwaters are increasingly threatened by pollutants emanating from human activities around watersheds. Microplastic pollution is an increasing problem for rivers worldwide, potentially threatening ecological integrity, ecosystem services and human health. We present quantifications and characterisations of sediment microplastic pollution in a subtropical river system in southern Africa, and relate distributions to wastewater treatment works, abiotic variables and urban environments. We additionally apply several diversity indices to decipher how microplastic types differ across the river system seasonally. Over two thousand microplastic particles were found across five sites and three seasons in the river system, comprising microbeads of various colours and microfibres. Microplastic concentrations were highest and most diverse in the hot–wet (mean range 76.0 ± 10.0–285.5 ± 44.5 microplastic kg−1) season as compared to the cool–dry (16.5 ± 4.5–27.0 ± 5.0 microplastic kg−1) and hot–dry (13.0 ± 4.0–29.0 ± 10.0 microplastic kg−1) seasons, and were mostly dominated by microfibres. However, no clear patterns were found in relation to wastewater treatment operations spatially, or in relation to abiotic variables in the river system. This study therefore finds a diverse range of microplastic types widely distributed in the river system that differ across seasons. Our results provide important, novel insights into plastic pollution in an understudied area of the Global South, and point to extensive pollution from sources outside of wastewater treatment works

Insights into the Value of Inclusive Education to Both Children with and without Diasabilities at Kabulonga Boys Secondary School in Lusaka, Zambia

The study was undertaken to analyze the benefits of inclusive education to children both with and without special education needs. A descriptive survey design was used. The study sample comprised 20 participants: one head teacher, one deputy head teacher, nine special education teachers and nine regular teachers. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select these participants. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides while analysis of data was done by SPSS (descriptive statistics) and themes (thematic analysis). The study revealed that the benefits of inclusive education are many; inclusive education can be an important and a meaningful thing or program to implement if all the materials needed are available, and if specially trained teachers are available to work with regular teachers and other stakeholders that may be needed for it to work. The study also established that regular teachers face many challenges in curriculum modification and adaptation. The study suggests that CPD activities be done so as to train regular teacher on how to modify and adapt the curriculum in inclusive classes; more sensitization of the benefits of inclusive education be done via different media platforms, and schools to strictly follow the stipulated guidelines on inclusive education and special education. This study concludes that there many benefits of inclusive education to both CSENs and those without special educational needs. On the other hand, curriculum adaptation and modification is very vital for inclusion to come to fruition. However, regular teachers face many challenges in this area. Keywords: Inclusive education, curriculum modification and adaptation, children with and without special education needs. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-35-01 Publication date: December 31st 202

Vicia faba Crop Residues for Sustainable Electricity Generation Using a Sludge-based Microbial Fuel Cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) simultaneously degrade organic substrates and generate electricity in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. Here, we built a 4-unit MFC and studied the efficiency of MFC at different conditions, including pH, substrate concentration of Vicia faba agricultural wastes with exoelectrogenic bacteria P. aeruginosa. The exoelectrogenic bacteria were obtained from industrial effluents and used to inoculate the MFCs. The optimized conditions in terms of yielding maximum potential of 802 mV, yielding maximum power density of 283 mW m–2 were reported at a substrate concentration of 6 g L–1 of V. faba waste and pH of 5.5, corresponding to a current density 1255.93 mA m–2. Using exoelectrogenic bacteria from industrial effluents and agricultural wastes resulted in efficient MFC. Thus, the developed MFCs using V. faba agricultural wastes can be used in rural areas that have limited access to electricity, by reusing agricultural wastes and concomitant electricity generation. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Amplitude study of the Pg phase

The amplitude of the Pg phase, as recorded in explosion seismology studies, is analyzed with the aid of synthetic seismograms. Parameters such as source frequency, low-velocity cover above the crust (sediments or weathered layer), low-velocity layers within the upper crust, velocity gradients, thickness of the gradient zone, attenuation and Poisson's ratio strongly influence the amplitude-distance pattern of the Pg phase. A systematic study clearly shows that different models of the continental upper crust display distinct amplitude-distance characteristics. These models could not be distinguished by travel-time interpretation alone. In the presence of gradient zones the amplitude-distance curve shows different patterns depending on the source frequency. The higher the frequency, the more pronounced are the relative maxima in the amplitudes. The presence of a low-velocity cover at the surface accentuates the character of the amplitude-distance curves even if the cover is thin (a few hundred meters). Moreover, a low-velocity cover produces P to S conversions and multiples following the Pg which obscure possible secondary crustal phases. The thickness of the velocity gradient zone influences the amplitude decay and the width of the relative maxima. Low-velocity layers within the upper crust cause a faster drop-off of the amplitudes than would be expected from ray theory. Detailed Pg amplitude studies are thus useful in improving the knowledge of the physical properties of the upper continental crust. The application of the derived criteria to two sets of real data allow us to determine fine details of the velocity-depth function which are of great importance for the understanding of the Earth's crust.           ARK: https://n2t.net/ark:/88439/y083748 Permalink: https://geophysicsjournal.com/article/291 &nbsp

Solidification of sand by Pb(II)-tolerant bacteria for capping mine waste to control metallic dust: Case of the abandoned Kabwe Mine, Zambia

Environmental impacts resulting from historic lead and zinc mining in Kabwe, Zambia affect human health due to the dust generated from the mine waste that contains lead, a known hazardous pollutant. We employed microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), an alternative capping method, to prevent dust generation and reduce the mobility of contaminants. Pb-resistant Oceanobacillus profundus KBZ 1-3 and O. profundus KBZ 2e5 isolated from Kabwe were used to biocement the sand that would act as a cover to prevent dust and water infiltration. Sand biocemented by KBZ 1-3 and KBZ 2-5 had maximum unconfined compressive strength values of 3.2 MPa and 5.5MPa, respectively. Additionally, biocemented sand exhibited reduced water permeability values of 9.6*10e-8 m/s and 8.9x1010e-8 m/s for O. profundus KBZ 1-3 and KBZ 2-5, respectively, which could potentially limit the entrance of water and oxygen into the dump, hence reducing the leaching of heavy metals. We propose that these isolates represent an option for bioremediating contaminated waste by preventing both metallic dust from becoming airborne and rainwater from infiltrating into the waste. O. profundus KBZ 1-3 and O. profundus KBZ 2-5 isolated form Kabwe represent a novel species that has, for the first time, been applied in a bioremediation study