8,799 research outputs found
The crafting of hope: Contextualising add-ons in the treatment trajectories of IVF patients
The proliferation and popularity of additional treatments in IVF, also known as add-ons, has generated widespread discussion and controversy in the UK, where concerns have addressed the lack of evidence to support the efficacy and safety of these treatments, their cost, and their connection to a wider context of privatisation of fertility treatment. Drawing on 42 interviews with IVF patients, this article explores the role of hope in the appeal of add-ons from the patient perspective. The analysis is presented in two parts: firstly, we investigate the role of hope in patients’ decision-making on treatment, contextualising add-ons in the broader trajectory of their IVF experience; secondly, we examine how patients navigate the offer of add-ons, focusing on the role of hope in how they rationalise their decisions on whether to include them in their fertility treatment. Our analysis shows how patients craft their hope to navigate the increasing number of available options in their quest to find the treatment(s) that will “work” for them. We suggest that the imperative for patients to explore all options is intensified with the emergence of add-ons, which produces a novel context and version of a “hope technology”
Using interview excerpts to facilitate focus group discussion
The use of interviews and focus groups is well-established in the social science methods literature. However, discussion on how research can combine these two methods in creative ways is less common. While researchers are generally aware of the potential of focus groups for further probing issues that emerge in one-on-one interviews, few studies detail how this might be achieved in practice. In this article, we describe and reflect on a focus group elicitation strategy that uses individual interview excerpts to facilitate discussion in group settings. In our reflection, we draw on a study that investigated the sharing of embryo images in fertility treatment. The article contributes to the methods literature firstly, by reflecting on the novel use of individual interview material in focus groups and secondly, by discussing the re-enactment of interview excerpts as an effective audio elicitation tool to be used in the later stages of research
Identificação de minerais do grupo das zeólitas por espectroscopia de reflectância, para aplicação como remineralizadores de solo.
A utilização de zeólitas para melhorar a qualidade do solo destinado à agricultura ganha espaço em todo o mundo. A elevada capacidade de troca catiônica das zeólitas favorece a conservação de nutrientes no solo e, a alta capacidade de retenção de água em seus retículos cristalinos faz destes minerais excelentes condicionadores de solo. A ausência de depósitos de zeólitas em exploração no Brasil torna os basaltos da Formação Serra Geral da Bacia do Paraná um alvo com grande potencial para a prospecção por zeólitas naturais. Pesquisas da CPRM destacam a significativa presença de zeólitas especialmente no contato entre os derrames inferiores da Formação Serra Geral e os arenitos eólicos da Formação Botucatu no Rio Grande do Sul. A espectroscopia de reflectância é uma ferramenta capaz de contribuir para a identificação de zeólitas em campo ou laboratório, utilizando-se de análises rápidas e de baixo custo. O conhecimento prévio do comportamento espectral das zeólitas é de grande utilidade na prospecção de alvos potenciais na Formação Serra Geral (pilhas de lobos e brechas de topo de derrames basálticos). Nestas ambiências foram reconhecidas macroscopicamente heulandita, escolecita, estilbita, laumontita e mordenita. O presente trabalho apresenta os resultados de leituras em amostras representativas das paragêneses que caracterizam os diferentes blocos determinados pelo Projeto Agrominerais Bacia do Paraná no Rio Grande do Sul-CPRM, com uso do espectrorradiômetro FieldSpec 3 Hi-Res© - ASD, de resolução espectral entre 0,35 e 2,5 μm. Foram identificadas curvas espectrais referentes à estilbita, heulandita, laumontita, mordenita e possivelmente analcima e clinoptilolita, localmente associadas à calcita. Por meio de assinaturas espectrais poderão ser construídos padrões para as zeólitas, para classificação de imagens de satélite, devendo-se considerar a relação entre a dimensão dos alvos e as resoluções espaciais e espectrais dos sensores orbitais e aeroportados disponíveis para o imageamento da área de pesquisa
Numerical study of halo concentrations in dark-energy cosmologies
We study the concentration parameters, their mass dependence and redshift
evolution, of dark-matter halos in different dark-energy cosmologies with
constant and time-variable equation of state, and compare them with "standard''
Lambda-CDM and OCDM models. We find that previously proposed algorithms for
predicting halo concentrations can be well adapted to dark-energy models. When
centred on the analytically expected values, halo concentrations show a
log-normal distribution with a uniform standard deviation of ~0.2. The
dependence of averaged halo concentrations on mass and redshift permits a
simple fit of the form (1+z) c=c0 (M/M0)^a, with a~-0.1 throughout. We find
that the cluster concentration depends on the dark energy equation of state at
the cluster formation redshift z_{coll} through the linear growth factor
D_+(z_{coll}). As a simple correction accounting for dark-energy cosmologies,
we propose scaling c0 from Lambda-CDM with the ratio of linear growth factors,
c0 -> c0 D_+(z_{coll})/D_{+,Lambda-CDM}(z_{coll}).Comment: 11 pages, submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysic
Design of a Highly Portable Data Logging Embedded System for Naturalistic Motorcycle Study
According to Motorcycle Industrial Council (MIC), in USA the number of owned
motorcycle increased during last few years and most likely will keep increasing. However, the
number of the deadly crash accidents associated with motorcycles is on the rise. Although MIC
doesn\u27t explain why the accident rate has increased, the unprotected motorcyclist gear can be one
of the reasons. The most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
annual report stated that its data analyses are based on their experiences and the best judgment is
not based on solid scientific experiment [3]. Thus, building a framework for the data acquisition
about the motorcyclist environment is a first step towards decreasing motorcyclist crashes.
There are a few naturalistic motorcycle studies reported in the literature. The naturalistic
motorcycle study also identifies the behaviors and environmental crash hazards. The primary
objective of this thesis work is to design a highly portable data logging embedded system for
naturalistic motorcycle study with capability of collecting many types of data such as images,
speed, acceleration, time, location, distance approximation, etc. This thesis work is the first
phase (of three phases) of a naturalistic motorcycle study project. The second phase is to
optimize system area, form factor, and power consumption. The third phase will be concerned
with aggressive low power design and energy harvesting. The proposed embedded system design
is based on an Arduino microcontroller. A whole suite of Arduino based prototype boards,
sensor boards, support software, and user forum is available. The system is high portable with
capability to store up to eight (8) hours of text/image data during a one month study period. We
have successfully designed and implemented the system and performed three trial runs. The data
acquired has been validated and found to be accurate
Cold affects the transcription of fatty acid desaturases and oil quality in the fruit of Olea europaea L. genotypes with different cold hardiness
The olive tree lacks dormancy and is low temperature sensitive, with differences in cold tolerance and oil quality among genotypes. The oil is produced in the drupe, and the unsaturated fatty acids contribute to its quality. The aim of the present research was to investigate the relationship among development, cold response, expression of fatty acid desaturase (FAD) genes, and unsaturated fatty acid composition in drupes belonging to genotypes differing in leaf cold tolerance, but producing good oil (i.e. the non-hardy Moraiolo, the semi-hardy Frantoio, and the hardy Canino). In all genotypes, cold sensitivity, evaluated by cold-induced transient increases in cytosolic calcium, was high in the epi-mesocarp cells before oil body formation, and decreased during oil biogenesis. However, genotype-dependent differences in cold sensitivity appeared at the end of oil production. Genotype-dependent differences in FAD2.1, FAD2.2, FAD6, and FAD7 expression levels occurred in the epi-mesocarp cells during the oleogenic period. However, FAD2.1 and FAD7 were always the highest in the first part of this period. FAD2.2 and FAD7 increased after cold applications during oleogenesis, independently of the genotype. Unsaturated fatty acids increased in the drupes of the non-hardy genotype, but not in those of the hardy one, after cold exposure at the time of the highest FAD transcription. The results show a direct relationship between FAD expression and lipid desaturation in the drupes of the cold-sensitive genotype, and an inverse relationship in those of the cold-resistant genotype, suggesting that drupe cold acclimation requires a fine FAD post-transcriptional regulation. Hypotheses relating FAD desaturation to storage and membrane lipids, and genotype cold hardiness are discussed
The Ventasso Horse: genetic characterization by microsatellites markers
The genetic structure of Ventasso Horse (VH) was investigated using 12 microsatellites. The analyses were carried out on 117 VH individuals and the results were compared with those obtained analysing 11 other breeds reared in Italy. All microsatellites were polymorphic in VH and in the other breeds. A total of 124 alleles (from 6 to 19 alleles per microsatellite) were detected. Average heterozygosity was 0.743 in VH and ranged from 0.613 to 0.759 in the other breeds. The mean FST value had an average value of 0.0932. Genetic distances were calculated using Nei's standard genetic distance (Ds). The smallest Ds values were found between VH and Anglo-Arab, Thoroughbred, Maremmano and Lipizzan horse breeds. Phylogenetic trees constructed using neighbour-joining method showed two clear separate clusters: the first includes Bardigiano, Haflinger and Italian Heavy Draught Horse, the second contains the other 9 breeds
Winds as the origin of radio emission in radio-quiet extremely red quasars
Most active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are radio-quiet, and the origin of their
radio emission is not well-understood. One hypothesis is that this radio
emission is a by-product of quasar-driven winds. In this paper, we present the
radio properties of 108 extremely red quasars (ERQs) at . ERQs are among
the most luminous quasars ( erg/s) in the Universe,
with signatures of extreme ( km/s) outflows in their
[OIII]5007 \AA\ emission, making them the best subjects to seek the
connection between radio and outflow activity. All ERQs but one are unresolved
in the radio on kpc scales, and the median radio luminosity of ERQs
is erg/s, in the radio-quiet regime, but
one to two orders of magnitude higher than that of other quasar samples. The
radio spectra are steep, with a mean spectral index . In addition, ERQs neatly follow the extrapolation of the low-redshift
correlation between radio luminosity and the velocity dispersion of
[OIII]-emitting ionized gas. Uncollimated winds, with a power of one per cent
of the bolometric luminosity, can account for all these observations. Such
winds would interact with and shock the gas around the quasar and in the host
galaxy, resulting in acceleration of relativistic particles and the consequent
synchrotron emission observed in the radio. Our observations support the
picture in which ERQs are signposts of extremely powerful episodes of quasar
feedback, and quasar-driven winds as a contributor of the radio emission in the
intermediate regime of radio luminosity erg/s.Comment: accepted by MNRA
The active optics software for the VST telescope
The VST (VLT Survey Telescope) active optics software must basically provide the analysis of the image coming from the wavefront sensor (a 10x10 subpupils Shack Hartmann device) and the calculation of primary mirror forces and secondary mirror displacements to correct the aberrations of the optical system, instrinsic or originated for thermal and gravity reasons. After the telescope commissioning the VST will be operated by ESO. In this framework, INAF-OAC staff was committed to design and realize the software in a VLT-compliant way. This will smoothen the integration, operation and maintenance of the telescope in the Paranal observatory
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