778 research outputs found
UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network (UKUWMN) - Contract 22 01 249 Llyn Llagi, Llyn Cwm Mynach, Afon Hafren and Afon Gwy Annual Summary Progress Report April 2014 - March 2015
Chemical and biological sample collection, analysis and data collation, quality control and
archiving proceeded without any problems at Llyn Llagi during the period from April 2014 to
March 2015.
Sponge samples from the site, collected in 2012 and sent off to Karen Evans, a PhD
student at Liverpool University, were identified as being of two species, Spongilla lacustris
and Racekiela ryderii
UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network (UKUWMN) Llyn Llagi, Llyn Cwm Mynach, Afon Hafren and Afon Gwy Annual Summary Progress Report April 2016 - March 2017
The funded chemical and biological sample collection, analysis and data collation, quality
control and archiving proceeded without any problems at Llyn Llagi during the period from
April 2016 to March 2017.
In February 2017 the outflow logger and stageboard were removed pending building works
for a National Trust micro-hydro scheme at the site. Subsequently plans for the scheme
were withdrawn and it is hoped that the equipment can be reinstalled at the original
location
Resolve survey Photometry and volume-limited calibration of the Photometric gas fractions technique
We present custom-processed ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared photometry for the REsolved Spectroscopy of a
Local VolumE (RESOLVE) survey, a volume-limited census of stellar, gas, and dynamical mass within two
subvolumes of the nearby universe (RESOLVE-A and RESOLVE-B). RESOLVE is complete down to baryonic
mass 10 ~ 9.1 9.3 - M, probing the upper end of the dwarf galaxy regime. In contrast to standard pipeline photometry
(e.g., SDSS), our photometry uses optimal background subtraction, avoids suppressing color gradients, and
employs multiple flux extrapolation routines to estimate systematic errors. With these improvements, we measure
brighter magnitudes, larger radii, bluer colors, and a real increase in scatter around the red sequence. Combining
stellar mass estimates based on our optimized photometry with the nearly complete H I mass census for
RESOLVE-A, we create new z = 0 volume-limited calibrations of the photometric gas fractions (PGF) technique,
which predicts gas-to-stellar mass ratios (G/S) from galaxy colors and optional additional parameters. We analyze
G/S-color residuals versus potential third parameters, finding that axial ratio is the best independent and physically
meaningful third parameter. We define a “modified color” from planar fits to G/S as a function of both color and
axial ratio. In the complete galaxy population, upper limits on G/S bias linear and planar fits. We therefore model
the entire PGF probability density field, enabling iterative statistical modeling of upper limits and prediction of full
G/S probability distributions for individual galaxies. These distributions have two-component structure in the red
color regime. Finally, we use the RESOLVE-B 21 cm census to test several PGF calibrations, finding that most
systematically under- or overestimate gas masses, but the full probability density method performs well
Mean-Payoff Optimization in Continuous-Time Markov Chains with Parametric Alarms
Continuous-time Markov chains with alarms (ACTMCs) allow for alarm events
that can be non-exponentially distributed. Within parametric ACTMCs, the
parameters of alarm-event distributions are not given explicitly and can be
subject of parameter synthesis. An algorithm solving the -optimal
parameter synthesis problem for parametric ACTMCs with long-run average
optimization objectives is presented. Our approach is based on reduction of the
problem to finding long-run average optimal strategies in semi-Markov decision
processes (semi-MDPs) and sufficient discretization of parameter (i.e., action)
space. Since the set of actions in the discretized semi-MDP can be very large,
a straightforward approach based on explicit action-space construction fails to
solve even simple instances of the problem. The presented algorithm uses an
enhanced policy iteration on symbolic representations of the action space. The
soundness of the algorithm is established for parametric ACTMCs with
alarm-event distributions satisfying four mild assumptions that are shown to
hold for uniform, Dirac and Weibull distributions in particular, but are
satisfied for many other distributions as well. An experimental implementation
shows that the symbolic technique substantially improves the efficiency of the
synthesis algorithm and allows to solve instances of realistic size.Comment: This article is a full version of a paper accepted to the Conference
on Quantitative Evaluation of SysTems (QEST) 201
Optimizing Performance of Continuous-Time Stochastic Systems using Timeout Synthesis
We consider parametric version of fixed-delay continuous-time Markov chains
(or equivalently deterministic and stochastic Petri nets, DSPN) where
fixed-delay transitions are specified by parameters, rather than concrete
values. Our goal is to synthesize values of these parameters that, for a given
cost function, minimise expected total cost incurred before reaching a given
set of target states. We show that under mild assumptions, optimal values of
parameters can be effectively approximated using translation to a Markov
decision process (MDP) whose actions correspond to discretized values of these
parameters
Natural Disaster and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Puerto Rican Children
We examined the persistence of psychiatric disorders at approximately 18 and 30 months after a hurricane among a random sample of the child and adolescent population (4–17 years) of Puerto Rico. Data were obtained from caretaker-child dyads (N = 1,886) through in person interviews with primary caretakers (all children) and youth (11–17 years) using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children IV in Spanish. Logistic regressions, controlling for sociodemographic variables, were used to study the relation between disaster exposure and internalizing, externalizing, or any disorder. Children’s disaster-related distress manifested as internalizing disorders, rather than as externalizing disorders at 18 months post-disaster. At 30 months, there was no longer a significant difference in rates of disorder between hurricane-exposed and non-exposed youth. Results were similar across age ranges. Rates of specific internalizing disorders between exposed and unexposed children are provided. Research and clinical implications are discussed
Distinct variation in vector competence among nine field populations of Aedes aegypti from a Brazilian dengue-endemic risk city
Background: In Brazil, dengue epidemics erupt sporadically throughout the country and it is unclear if outbreaks may initiate a sustainable transmission cycle. There are few studies evaluating the ability of Brazilian Aedes aegypti populations to transmit dengue virus (DENV). The aim of this study was to compare DENV susceptibility of field-captured Ae. aegypti populations from nine distinct geographic areas of the city of Belo Horizonte in 2009 and 2011. Infection Rate (IR), Vector Competence (VC) and Disseminated Infection Rate (DIR) were determined.
Methods: Aedes aegypti eggs from each region were collected and reared separately in an insectary. Adult females were experimentally infected with DENV-2 and the virus was detected by qPCR in body and head samples. Data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17.
Results: IR varied from 40.0% to 82.5% in 2009 and 60.0% to 100.0% in 2011. VC ranged from 25.0% to 77.5% in 2009 and 25.0% to 80.0% in 2011. DIR oscillated from 68.7% to 100.0% in 2009 and 38.4% to 86.8 in 2011. When the results were evaluated by a logistic model using IR as covariate, North, Barreiro, South-Central and Venda Nova showed the strongest association in 2009. In 2011, a similar association was observed for South-Central, Venda Nova, West and Northeast regions. Using VC as covariate, South-Central and Venda Nova showed the most relevant association in 2009. In 2011, South-Central, Venda Nova and Barreiro presented the greatest revelation associations. When DIR data were analyzed by logistic regression models, Pampulha, South-Central, Venda Nova, West, Northeast and East (2009) as well as South-Central, Venda Nova and West (2011) were the districts showing the strongest associations.
Conclusions: We conclude that Ae. aegypti populations from Belo Horizonte exhibit wide variation in vector competence to transmit dengue. Therefore, vector control strategies should be adapted to the available data for each region. Further analysis should be conducted to better understand the reasons for this large variability in vector competence and how these parameters correlate with epidemiological findings in subsequent years
Postpartum mental health after Hurricane Katrina: A cohort study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Natural disaster is often a cause of psychopathology, and women are vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Depression is also common after a woman gives birth. However, no research has addressed postpartum women's mental health after natural disaster.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Interviews were conducted in 2006–2007 with women who had been pregnant during or shortly after Hurricane Katrina. 292 New Orleans and Baton Rouge women were interviewed at delivery and 2 months postpartum. Depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Depression Scale and PTSD using the Post-Traumatic Stress Checklist. Women were asked about their experience of the hurricane with questions addressing threat, illness, loss, and damage. Chi-square tests and log-binomial/Poisson models were used to calculate associations and relative risks (RR).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Black women and women with less education were more likely to have had a serious experience of the hurricane. 18% of the sample met the criteria for depression and 13% for PTSD at two months postpartum. Feeling that one's life was in danger was associated with depression and PTSD, as were injury to a family member and severe impact on property. Overall, two or more severe experiences of the storm was associated with an increased risk for both depression (relative risk (RR) 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08–2.89) and PTSD (RR 3.68, 95% CI 1.80–7.52).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Postpartum women who experience natural disaster severely are at increased risk for mental health problems, but overall rates of depression and PTSD do not seem to be higher than in studies of the general population.</p
Experimental and theoretical investigation of ligand effects on the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles
ZnO nanoparticles with highly controllable particle sizes(less than 10 nm) were synthesized using organic capping ligands in Zn(Ac)2 ethanolic solution. The molecular structure of the ligands was found to have significant influence on the particle size. The multi-functional molecule tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane (THMA) favoured smaller particle distributions compared with ligands possessing long hydrocarbon chains that are more frequently employed. The adsorption of capping ligands on ZnnOn crystal nuclei (where n = 4 or 18 molecular clusters of(0001) ZnO surfaces) was modelled by ab initio methods at the density functional theory (DFT) level. For the molecules examined, chemisorption proceeded via the formation of Zn...O, Zn...N, or Zn...S chemical bonds between the ligands and active Zn2+ sites on ZnO surfaces. The DFT results indicated that THMA binds more strongly to the ZnO surface than other ligands, suggesting that this molecule is very effective at stabilizing ZnO nanoparticle surfaces. This study, therefore, provides new insight into the correlation between the molecular structure of capping ligands and the morphology of metal oxide nanostructures formed in their presence
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