Patterns and variation of littoral habitat size among lakes

The littoral zone varies in size among lakes from ∼3% to 100% of lake surface area. In this paper, we derive a simple theoretical scaling relationship that explains this variation, and test this theory using bathymetric data across the size spectra of freshwater lakes (surface area = 0.01–82,103 km2, maximum depth = 2–1,741 m). Littoral area primarily reflects the ratio of the maximum depth of photosynthesis to maximum lake depth. However, lakes that are similar in these characteristics can have different relative littoral areas because of variation in basin shape. Hypsometric (area-elevation) models that describe these patterns for individual lakes can be generalized among lakes to accurately predict the relative size of littoral habitat when there is incomplete bathymetric information. Collectively, our results provide simple rules for understanding patterns of littoral habitat size at the regional and global scales

Epidemiological Features of the Selenium Status in Cattle of Northern California

Selenium (Se) is an essential mineral for animal health. Deficiencies result in white muscle disease (WMD), retained placenta, and ill thrift in cattle. These health problems are known to occur in some northern California herds. This survey was initiated to provide knowledge on the epidemiological features of Se deficiency in cattle in this region. Blood samples were drawn from 10 cows on each of 10 ranches in each of the northern 22 counties. Whole blood Se and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were determined, and these values were statistically compared with each other and with data obtained by questionnaire. The latter included information on animal diseases, soils, forages, and general ranch descriptors like elevation and rainfall. The GSH-Px spot test produced either a positive (+), negative (-) or intermediate (+/-) enzyme activity classification for each cow. Herd classification was identified as + or - if > 70% cow-values fell in that class, otherwise it was identified as +/-. The overall geometric mean blood-Se value was 47.6 ng/ml. Regressions of individual and herd GSH-Px-class against blood-Se values produced r = .75 and r = .82, respectively. Significantly low blood-Se levels were recorded in herds with: 1) negative GSH-Px values, 2) past histories of WMD and ill thrift, 3) predominantly hay diet, 4) pregnant and early lactating cows, and 5) pure bred cows. The Se status of herds using Se-salt blocks was not different from non-supplemented herds. Descriptive ranch variables did not reliably assess the Se status of herds in this study

Epidemiological features of the selenium status in cattle of northern California

Selenium (Se) is an essential mineral for animal health. Deficiencies result in white muscle disease (40), retained placenta, and ill thrift in cattle. These health problems are known to occur in some northern California herds. This survey was initiated to provide knowledge on the epidemiological features of Se deficiency in cattle in this region. Blood samples were drawn from 10 cows on each of 10 ranches in each of the northern 22 counties. Whole blood Se and glutathione peroxidase (GBH-Px) activities were determined, and these values were statistically compared with each other and with data obtained by questionnaire. The latter included information on animal diseases, soils, forages, and general ranch descriptors like elevation and rainfall. The GSH-Px spot test produced either a positive (+), negative (-) or intermediate (+/-) enzyme activity classification for each cow. Herd classification was identified as + or - if >70% cow-values fell in that class, otherwise it was identified as +/-. The overall geometric mean blood-Se value was 47.6 ng/ml. Regressions of individual and herd GSH-Px-class against blood-Se values produced r = .75 and r = .82, respectively. Significantly low blood-Se levels were recorded in herds with: 1) negative GSH-Px values, 2) past histories of WMD and ill thrift, 3) predominantly hay diet, 4) pregnant and early lactating cows, and 5) pure bred cows. The Se status of herds using Se-salt blocks was not different from non- supplemented herds. Descriptive ranch variables did not reliably assess the Se status of herds in this study

Manifestation of Chaos in Real Complex Systems: Case of Parkinson's Disease

In this chapter we present a new approach to the study of manifestations of chaos in real complex system. Recently we have achieved the following result. In real complex systems the informational measure of chaotic chatacter (IMC) can serve as a reliable quantitative estimation of the state of a complex system and help to estimate the deviation of this state from its normal condition. As the IMC we suggest the statistical spectrum of the non-Markovity parameter (NMP) and its frequency behavior. Our preliminary studies of real complex systems in cardiology, neurophysiology and seismology have shown that the NMP has diverse frequency dependence. It testifies to the competition between Markovian and non-Markovian, random and regular processes and makes a crossover from one relaxation scenario to the other possible. On this basis we can formulate the new concept in the study of the manifestation of chaoticity. We suggest the statistical theory of discrete non-Markov stochastic processes to calculate the NMP and the quantitative evaluation of the IMC in real complex systems. With the help of the IMC we have found out the evident manifestation of chaosity in a normal (healthy) state of the studied system, its sharp reduction in the period of crises, catastrophes and various human diseases. It means that one can appreciably improve the state of a patient (of any system) by increasing the IMC of the studied live system. The given observation creates a reliable basis for predicting crises and catastrophes, as well as for diagnosing and treating various human diseases, Parkinson's disease in particular.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. To be published in "The Logistic Map and the Route to Chaos: From the Beginnings to the Modern Applications", eds. by M. Ausloos, M. Dirickx, pp. 175-196, Springer-Verlag, Berlin (2006

Androgens In Men Study (AIMS): protocol for meta-analyses of individual participant data investigating associations of androgens with health outcomes in men

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to clarify the role(s) of endogenous sex hormones to influence health outcomes in men, specifically to define the associations of plasma testosterone with incidence of cardiovascular events, cancer, dementia and mortality risk, and to identify factors predicting testosterone concentrations. Data will be accrued from at least three Australian, two European and four North American population-based cohorts involving approximately 20 000 men. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Eligible studies include prospective cohort studies with baseline testosterone concentrations measured using mass spectrometry and 5 years of follow-up data on incident cardiovascular events, mortality, cancer diagnoses or deaths, new-onset dementia or decline in cognitive function recorded. Data for men, who were not taking androgens or drugs suppressing testosterone production, metabolism or action; and had no prior orchidectomy, are eligible. Systematic literature searches were conducted from 14 June 2019 to 31 December 2019, with no date range set for searches. Aggregate level data will be sought where individual participant data (IPD) are not available. One-stage IPD random-effects meta-analyses will be performed, using linear mixed models, generalised linear mixed models and either stratified or frailty-augmented Cox regression models. Heterogeneity in estimates from different studies will be quantified and bias investigated using funnel plots. Effect size estimates will be presented in forest plots and non-negligible heterogeneity and bias investigated using subgroup or meta-regression analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approvals obtained for each of the participating cohorts state that participants have consented to have their data collected and used for research purposes. The Androgens In Men Study has been assessed as exempt from ethics review by the Human Ethics office at the University of Western Australia (file reference number RA/4/20/5014). Each of the component studies had obtained ethics approvals; please refer to respective component studies for details. Research findings will be disseminated to the scientific and broader community via the publication of four research articles, with each involving a separate set of IPD meta-analyses (articles will investigate different, distinct outcomes), at scientific conferences and meetings of relevant professional societies. Collaborating cohort studies will disseminate findings to study participants and local communities. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019139668.Bu Beng Yeap, James Marriott, Robert J Adams, Leen Antonio, Christie M Ballantyne, Shalender Bhasin ... et al

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC-2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: A generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society

Narrowband Searches for Continuous and Long-duration Transient Gravitational Waves from Known Pulsars in the LIGO-Virgo Third Observing Run

Isolated neutron stars that are asymmetric with respect to their spin axis are possible sources of detectable continuous gravitational waves. This paper presents a fully coherent search for such signals from eighteen pulsars in data from LIGO and Virgo's third observing run (O3). For known pulsars, efficient and sensitive matched-filter searches can be carried out if one assumes the gravitational radiation is phase-locked to the electromagnetic emission. In the search presented here, we relax this assumption and allow both the frequency and the time derivative of the frequency of the gravitational waves to vary in a small range around those inferred from electromagnetic observations. We find no evidence for continuous gravitational waves, and set upper limits on the strain amplitude for each target. These limits are more constraining for seven of the targets than the spin-down limit defined by ascribing all rotational energy loss to gravitational radiation. In an additional search, we look in O3 data for long-duration (hours-months) transient gravitational waves in the aftermath of pulsar glitches for six targets with a total of nine glitches. We report two marginal outliers from this search, but find no clear evidence for such emission either. The resulting duration-dependent strain upper limits do not surpass indirect energy constraints for any of these targets. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society