Reduction of blocking artifacts in both spatial domain and transformed domain

In this paper, we propose a bi-domain technique to reduce the blocking artifacts commonly incurred in image processing. Some pixels are sampled in the shifted image block and some high frequency components of the corresponding transformed block are discarded. By solving for the remaining unknown pixel values and the transformed coefficients, a less blocky image is obtained. Simulation results using the Discrete Cosine Transform and the Slant Transform show that the proposed algorithm gives a better quantitative result and image quality than that of the existing methods

Enhancing education activities for health care trainees and professionals using audience response systems: a systematic review

Introduction: This review examines the effect of incorporating clickers within practice-based education sessions on educational outcomes of health care trainees and professionals. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted on primary research studies published up until August 2014. Studies were identified by database searching (Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychInfo), citation searching, and reference list checking. Studies were restricted to those evaluating the use of clickers as part of the provision of postgraduate education or continuing education programs and were evaluated according to Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation (reaction, learning, behavior, and results). Results: Seventeen studies met the eligibility criteria. Twelve studies assessed learner and/or speaker reactions, with feedback overwhelmingly positive in all studies. Reported learner benefits included increased attentiveness, engagement, and enjoyment of presentations. Speakers reported that using clickers engaged the audience and assisted in assessing audience comprehension. Eight studies assessed learning outcomes. Higher level evidence obtained from four randomized studies demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge with the use of clickers compared with traditional didactic presentations, but no differences when clickers were compared with an interactive lecture with integrated questions. No studies adequately assessed higher level educational outcomes (behavior and results). Conclusion: Although the use of clickers improves learning environment and learner satisfaction, the limited high-quality data for improvements in learning and behavior outcomes make it uncertain whether the acceptance and implementation of clickers within routine practice-based education programs are warranted at this stage.Luke E. Grzeskowiak, Alice E. Thomas, Josephine To, Adam J. Phillips, Emily Reev

The Power of Light Zine 1 - Why do things change? - an epistemically insightful way to explore the nature of science and research at Diamond Light Source, UK

In the STFC funded Epistemic Insight Initiative project, The Power of Light, a series of resources have been designed informed by co-creation activities, pilot lessons, and workshops that involved children in schools and with their families in community spaces. Through this project with Diamond, we brought into classrooms and community spaces how light can be used to help investigate the world around us, address real-world problems and inform our thinking about Big Questions. The resources we develop support teachers' and their students' sense of agency when exploring 'how knowledge works' and how knowledge is built through different disciplines (including the natural sciences, the arts, and the humanities). This 'zine', with its focus on how scientists have been working with historians and archaeologists to preserve the Mary Rose (Henry the Eighth's favourite ship that was sunk in the Solent in England's southern coast), has been developed through co-creative activities involving research scientists at Diamond Light Source (UK), academics, primary school teachers, STEM ambassadors, and Diamond's public engagement team. Zines use an appealing combination of text and images to create a concise comic-like narrative format to generate enthusiasm about a particular area of interest - the series of zines designed for this project focuses on research taking place at the Diamond facility. The Diamond Light Source facility houses a synchrotron which is used to conduct research in a variety of applied fields of science and technology. This zine is designed to be accessible to ages 8+, and works well with a short animation (available in both Zenodo and on the Epistemic Insight You Tube channel) that has been created with additional funding from STFC. Teaching notes are available for this zine, with guidance and activity sheets to support working with the Power of Light resources. This zine explores these discussion questions: 1) What are examples of changes we can observe? 2) What helps us to know more about the things around us? 3) What might we use to help us observe changes

Are orchid bees useful indicators of the impacts of human disturbance?

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions are threatened by human disturbance, and tropical forests are one the most vulnerable habitats. Monitoring the impacts of disturbance and the success of conservation projects is crucial, and to do this effectively it is important to identify suitable measures that are sensitive to ecosystem disturbance. Orchid bees (Euglossini) are a specialist group with mutualistic relationships with many plant species and can fly long distances, making them important pollinators of widely dispersed plant species. A loss of specialist pollinators such as these could have severe consequences for the plants that rely on their services. We therefore aimed to answer the following question: are orchid bees useful indicators of the impacts of human disturbance? If so, what measures of orchid bee diversity are most sensitive? And do orchid bees provide any indication of changes in pollination services along a disturbance gradient? Orchid bees were collected from 18 sites across a gradient of disturbance in a tropical forest region in southeast Peru. Alpha diversity across the gradient was compared using Hills numbers. Beta diversity was assessed using community composition, species contributions to beta diversity, beta diversity partitioning and novel measures of redundancy and representativeness. The potential pollination services available at each site were measured using artificial flowers and counts of pollinator visits. Alpha diversity of orchid bees showed low sensitivity to disturbance. Beta diversity measures were more informative, with disturbed sites found to be highly redundant in the ecosystem compared to the less disturbed sites. However, the most sensitive measure across the gradient was abundance – there was a significant decrease in the number of bees caught as disturbance increased, with likely consequences for pollination services. These results suggest that orchid bees may be useful indicators of the impacts of human disturbance, but alpha diversity is a poor metric for this purpose. In order to understand how human disturbance is affecting biodiversity, multiple diversity indices should be considered, and in the case of orchid bees, redundancy and abundance could be useful for detecting sensitive responses to forest disturbance. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Scaling behaviour near jamming in random sequential adsorption

For the random Sequential adsorption model, we introduce the ‘availability’ as a new variable corresponding to the number of available locations in which an adsorbate can be accommodated. We investigate the relation of the availability to the coverage of the adsorbent surface over time. Power law scaling between the two is obtained both through numerical simulations and analytical techniques for both one- and two- dimensional random sequential adsorption, as well as in the case of competitive random sequential adsorption in one dimension

Complete genome sequence of the Medicago microsymbiont Ensifer (Sinorhizobium) medicae strain WSM419

Ensifer (Sinorhizobium) medicae is an effective nitrogen fixing microsymbiont of a diverse range of annual Medicago (medic) species. Strain WSM419 is an aerobic, motile, non-spore forming, Gram-negative rod isolated from a M. murex root nodule collected in Sardinia, Italy in 1981. WSM419 was manufactured commercially in Australia as an inoculant for annual medics during 1985 to 1993 due to its nitrogen fixation, saprophytic competence and acid tolerance properties. Here we describe the basic features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and annotation. This is the first report of a complete genome se-quence for a microsymbiont of the group of annual medic species adapted to acid soils. We reveal that its genome size is 6,817,576 bp encoding 6,518 protein-coding genes and 81 RNA only encoding genes. The genome contains a chromosome of size 3,781,904 bp and 3 plasmids of size 1,570,951 bp, 1,245,408 bp and 219,313 bp. The smallest plasmid is a fea-ture unique to this medic microsymbiont

Interaction anisotropy and random impurities effects on the critical behaviour of ferromagnets

The theory of phase transitions is based on the consideration of "idealized" models, such as the Ising model: a system of magnetic moments living on a cubic lattice and having only two accessible states. For simplicity the interaction is supposed to be restricted to nearest--neighbour sites only. For these models, statistical physics gives a detailed description of the behaviour of various thermodynamic quantities in the vicinity of the transition temperature. These findings are confirmed by the most precise experiments. On the other hand, there exist other cases, where one must account for additional features, such as anisotropy, defects, dilution or any effect that may affect the nature and/or the range of the interaction. These features may have impact on the order of the phase transition in the ideal model or smear it out. Here we address two classes of models where the nature of the transition is altered by the presence of anisotropy or dilution.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, To appear in Journal of Physics: Conference Serie

Social prescribing for people living with dementia (PLWD) and their carers: what works, for whom, under what circumstances and why – protocol for a complex intervention systematic review

\ua9 Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024.Introduction Dementia is a complex medical condition that poses significant challenges to healthcare systems and support services. People living with dementia (PLWD) and their carers experience complex needs often exacerbated by social isolation and challenges in accessing support. Social prescribing (SP) seeks to enable PLWD and their carers to access community and voluntary sector resources to support them address such needs. Existing research, however, does not describe what SP interventions are currently in place in dementia care. Little is known about the needs these interventions are designed to address, the reasons that lead PLWD and their carers to participate in them, their effectiveness and the extent to which they could increase positive health outcomes if adopted and how. Methods and analysis A complex intervention systematic review of SP for PLWD and/or their carers will be conducted using an iterative logic model approach. Six electronic (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus and Cochrane/CENTRAL) and two grey literature databases (EThOS and CORE) were searched for publications between 1 January 2003 and June 2023, supplemented by handsearching of reference lists of included studies. Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment, using Gough’s Weight of Evidence Framework, will be independently performed by two reviewers. A narrative approach will be employed to synthesise and report quantitative and qualitative data. Reporting will be informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Complex Interventions extension statement and checklist. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is required due to this systematic review operating only with secondary sources. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and meetings with key stakeholders including healthcare professionals, patient and carer groups, community organisations (eg, the Social Prescribing Network and the Evidence Collaborative at the National Academy for Social Prescribing), policymakers and funding bodies. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023428625