1,582 research outputs found

    Global Management Effectiveness Study: Integrated Social and Ecological Report for Non-node and Node Sites

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    The purpose of this study is to provide a critical assessment of the implementation, impact, and performance of Marine Managed Area (MMA) projects to serve as a basis for improved planning and implementation of new MMA projects worldwide. The specific objectives of the study are (1) to determine the socioeconomic, governance and ecological effects of MMAs; (2) to determine the critical factors influencing MMA effects, as well as the impact of the timing of those factors on the effects of the MMA; and (3) to provide tools for predicting MMA effects based on ecological, socioeconomic and governance variable

    A review and evaluation of community-based coastal resource management programs and projects in the Philippines, 1984-1994

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    There is a growing realization in Southeast Asian of the need for increased participation by resource users in fisheries management and greater localized control over access to the resource. Community-based resource management has re-emerged as a way to involve resource users and to utilize indigenous institutional arrangements and knowledge in coastal fisheries management. In virtually all users, however, the future of community-based resource management seems to lie in a form of co-management, a sharing of responsibility and authority for resource management users of community. The Philippines is a world leader in community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) between 1984-1994, 43 CBCRM programs and projects with over 105 project units or sites were implemented throughout the 12 regions of the Philippines. This paper will present the results of a review and evaluation of CBCRM programs and projects in the Philippines. Major interventions, Institutions and processes of CBCRM are discussed and general lessons learned are identified

    A Review and Evaluation of Community-based Coastal Resource Management Programs and Projects in the Philippines, 1984-1994

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    There is a growing realization in Southeast Asian of the need for increased participation by resource users in fisheries management and greater localized control over access to the resource. Community-based resource management has re-emerged as a way to involve resource users and to utilize indigenous institutional arrangements and knowledge in coastal fisheries management. In virtually all users, however, the future of community-based resource management seems to lie in a form of co-management , a sharing of responsibility and authority for resource management users of community. The Philippines is a world leader in community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) between 1984-1994, 43 CBCRM programs and projects with over 105 project units or sites were implemented throughout the 12 regions of the Philippines. This paper will present the results of a review and evaluation of CBCRM programs and projects in the Philippines. Major interventions, Institutions and processes of CBCRM are discussed and general lessons learned are identified

    The Wiffenpoof Song

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    Illustration of a girl playing the piano and singing, while a boy is standing next to her listeninghttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/10567/thumbnail.jp

    Bayesian hierarchical clustering for studying cancer gene expression data with unknown statistics

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    Clustering analysis is an important tool in studying gene expression data. The Bayesian hierarchical clustering (BHC) algorithm can automatically infer the number of clusters and uses Bayesian model selection to improve clustering quality. In this paper, we present an extension of the BHC algorithm. Our Gaussian BHC (GBHC) algorithm represents data as a mixture of Gaussian distributions. It uses normal-gamma distribution as a conjugate prior on the mean and precision of each of the Gaussian components. We tested GBHC over 11 cancer and 3 synthetic datasets. The results on cancer datasets show that in sample clustering, GBHC on average produces a clustering partition that is more concordant with the ground truth than those obtained from other commonly used algorithms. Furthermore, GBHC frequently infers the number of clusters that is often close to the ground truth. In gene clustering, GBHC also produces a clustering partition that is more biologically plausible than several other state-of-the-art methods. This suggests GBHC as an alternative tool for studying gene expression data. The implementation of GBHC is available at https://sites. google.com/site/gaussianbhc

    Repetitive arm functional tasks after stroke (RAFTAS): a pilot randomised controlled trial

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    Background Repetitive functional task practise (RFTP) is a promising treatment to improve upper limb recovery following stroke. We report the findings of a study to determine the feasibility of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial to evaluate this intervention. Methods A pilot randomised controlled trial was conducted. Patients with new reduced upper limb function were recruited within 14 days of acute stroke from three stroke units in North East England. Participants were randomised to receive a four week upper limb RFTP therapy programme consisting of goal setting, independent activity practise, and twice weekly therapy reviews in addition to usual post stroke rehabilitation, or usual post stroke rehabilitation. The recruitment rate; adherence to the RFTP therapy programme; usual post stroke rehabilitation received; attrition rate; data quality; success of outcome assessor blinding; adverse events; and the views of study participants and therapists about the intervention were recorded. Results Fifty five eligible patients were identified, 4-6% of patients screened at each site. Twenty four patients participated in the pilot study. Two of the three study sites met the recruitment target of 1-2 participants per month. The median number of face to face therapy sessions received was 6 [IQR 3-8]. The median number of daily repetitions of activities recorded was 80 [IQR 39-80]. Data about usual post stroke rehabilitation were available for 18/24 (75%). Outcome data were available for 22/24 (92%) at one month and 20/24 (83%) at three months. Outcome assessors were unblinded to participant group allocation for 11/22 (50%) at one month and 6/20 (30%) at three months. Four adverse events were considered serious as they resulted in hospitalisation. None were related to study treatment. Feedback from patients and local NHS therapists about the RFTP programme was mainly positive. Conclusions A multi-centre randomised controlled trial to evaluate an upper limb RFTP therapy programme provided early after stroke is feasible and acceptable to patients and therapists, but there are issues which needed to be addressed when designing a Phase III study. A Phase III study will need to monitor and report not only recruitment and attrition but also adherence to the intervention, usual post stroke rehabilitation received, and outcome assessor blinding

    "Men's health - a little in the shadow": a formative evaluation of medical curriculum enhancement with men's health teaching and learning curriculum development

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    Enhancing a medical school curriculum with new men's health teaching and learning requires an understanding of the local capacity and the facilitators and barriers to implementing new content, and an approach that accommodates the systemic and cultural differences between medical schools.A formative evaluation was undertaken to determine the perspectives of key informants (academics, curriculum developers) from four Australian medical schools about the strategies needed to enhance their curriculum with men's health teaching and learning. Through semi-structured questioning with 17 key informants, interviewees also described the contextual barriers and facilitators to incorporating new topic areas into existing curriculum. Interviews were recorded with consent, transcribed verbatim, and analysed by two researchers to identify key themes.Interviewees were enthusiastic about incorporating men's health content through a men's health curriculum framework but highlighted the need for systems to assist in identifying gaps in their current curriculum where the men's health topics could be integrated. The student experience was identified as a key driver for men's health teaching and learning. Furthermore, core men's health clinical outcomes needed to be defined and topic areas vertically integrated across the curricula. This would ensure that students were appropriately equipped with the skills and knowledge for subsequent clinical practice in a range of geographical settings. Interviewees consistently suggested that the best implementation strategy is to have someone 'on the ground' to work directly with medical school staff and champion the men's health discipline. Providing mechanisms for sharing knowledge and resources across medical schools was highlighted to facilitate implementation, particularly for those medical schools with limited men's health teaching resources.Despite the unanimous support for men's health teaching and learning, the evaluation highlighted that the student experience must be recognised as paramount when integrating new topic areas into an already packed curriculum. A community of practice, where medical schools share relevant resources and knowledge, could help to ensure a commonality of student experience with respect to men's health learning in medical schools across different geographical settings and with different levels of resourcing. Such an approach could also be adapted to other areas of curriculum enhancement.Carol A. Holden, Veronica R. Collins, Christopher J. Anderson, Sylvia Pomeroy, Richard Turner, Benedict J. Canny, Bu B. Yeap, Gary Wittert, and Rob I. McLachla

    Neutron cross sections for He-3 at epithermal energies

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    High accuracy, absolute measurements of the neutron total cross section for He-3 are reported for incident neutron energies 0.1-400 eV. The measurements were performed at the LANSCE short-pulse neutron spallation source. Using the previously determined cross section for neutron elastic scattering, 3.367+/-0.019 b, we extract a new value for the energy dependence of the He-3(n,p)He-3 reaction cross section, sigma(np)=(849.77+/-0.14+/-1.02)E-1/2-(1.253+/-0.00+/-(+0.008)(-0.049))b, where the neutron energy is expressed in eV. The first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic

    Local Optical Probe of Motion and Stress in a multilayer graphene NEMS

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    Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMSs) are emerging nanoscale elements at the crossroads between mechanics, optics and electronics, with significant potential for actuation and sensing applications. The reduction of dimensions compared to their micronic counterparts brings new effects including sensitivity to very low mass, resonant frequencies in the radiofrequency range, mechanical non-linearities and observation of quantum mechanical effects. An important issue of NEMS is the understanding of fundamental physical properties conditioning dissipation mechanisms, known to limit mechanical quality factors and to induce aging due to material degradation. There is a need for detection methods tailored for these systems which allow probing motion and stress at the nanometer scale. Here, we show a non-invasive local optical probe for the quantitative measurement of motion and stress within a multilayer graphene NEMS provided by a combination of Fizeau interferences, Raman spectroscopy and electrostatically actuated mirror. Interferometry provides a calibrated measurement of the motion, resulting from an actuation ranging from a quasi-static load up to the mechanical resonance while Raman spectroscopy allows a purely spectral detection of mechanical resonance at the nanoscale. Such spectroscopic detection reveals the coupling between a strained nano-resonator and the energy of an inelastically scattered photon, and thus offers a new approach for optomechanics

    Estimating body mass and composition from proximal femur dimensions using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry

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    Body mass prediction from the skeleton most commonly employs femoral head diameter (FHD). However, theoretical predictions and empirical data suggest the relationship between mass and FHD is strongest in young adults; that bone dimensions reflect lean mass better than body or fat mass; and that other femoral measurements may be superior. Here we generate prediction equations for body mass and its components using femoral head, neck and proximal shaft diameters and body composition data derived from dual energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of young adults (n = 155, 77 females and 78 males, mean age 22.7 ± 1.3 years) from the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study, Hyderabad, India. Sex-specific regression of log-transformed data on femoral measurements predicted lean mass with smaller standard errors of estimate (SEEs) than body mass (12-14 % and 16-17 % respectively), while none of the femoral measurements were significant predictors of fat mass. Subtrochanteric medio-lateral shaft diameter gave lower SEEs for lean mass in both sexes and for body mass in males than FHD, while FHD was a better predictor of body mass in women. Our results provide further evidence that lean mass is more closely related to proximal femur dimensions than body or fat mass, and that proximal shaft diameter is a better predictor than FHD of lean but not always body mass. The mechanisms underlying these relationships have implications for selecting the most appropriate measurement and reference sample for estimating body or lean mass, which also depend on the question under investigation
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