The Information Content of Pore Fluid δ^(18)O and [CI^-]

Paleoceanographic proxies indicate that the ocean state during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) differed from the modern ocean state. Depth profiles of ocean sediment pore fluid δ^(18)O and [Cl^−] have been used to reconstruct the δ^(18)O and salinity at the LGM. Here, it is investigated whether pore fluid profiles can constrain ocean δ^(18)O and salinity at other times and, simultaneously, their ability to constrain the LGM δ^(18)O and salinity. An inverse framework is developed that relies on Bayesian parameter estimation, thus allowing formal separation of prior assumptions from the information in observations. Synthetic problems are used to explore the information about past ocean tracers that can be recovered from pore fluid profiles. It is concluded that prior knowledge of deep ocean mixing time scales is essential to an accurate inverse estimate of LGM ocean salinity and δ^(18)O from modern pore fluid profiles. The most recent 10 000 years of ocean salinity and δ^(18)O and the error in their estimates are better constrained by the pore fluid profiles than are the LGM values. The inverse estimate of salinity and δ^(18)O is strongly correlated with the estimate of diffusivity of oxygen isotopes and [Cl^−] in sediment pore fluids. Uncertainty on the diffusivity of oxygen isotopes and chloride in sediments is reduced through inversion of the pore fluid profiles, but simultaneous estimation of δ^(18)O or salinity and diffusivity increases the total uncertainty. The error reported in previous work may underestimate the true uncertainty of LGM deep ocean salinity and δ^(18)O

An evaluation of advanced access in general practice

Aims: To evaluate ‘Advanced Access’ in general practice, and assess its impact on patients, practice organisation, activity, and staff.Objectives: To describe the range of strategies that general practices have employed to improve access to care To determine the impact of Advanced Access on the wait for an appointment, continuity of care, practice workload, and demand on other NHS services. To explore the perceptions of different groups of patients, including both users and non-users of services, about the accessibility of care and their satisfaction with access to care in relation to different models of organisation. To explore the trade-offs that patients make between speed of access, continuity of care and other factors when making an appointment in general practice. To explore the perceptions of general practitioners and receptionists about working with the NPDT and implementing changes to practice arrangements to improve access. To assess the impact of the above changes in practice organisation on staff job satisfaction and team climate.Method and results: This research was based on a comparison of 48 general practices, half of which operated Advanced Access appointment systems and half of which did not (designated ‘control’ practices). These practices were recruited from 12 representative Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). From within these 48 practices, eight (four Advanced Access and four control) were selected for in-depth case study using an ethnographic approach. The research was comprised of several component studies. These included: • A survey of all practices in 12 PCTs. Based on this we recruited the 24 Advanced Access and 24 control practices and the 8 case study practices. • An assessment of appointments available and patients seen, based on appointments records • An assessment of continuity of care based on patients’ records • Random phone calls to practices to assess ability to make an appointment by telephone • A questionnaire survey of patients attending the practices • A postal survey of patients who had not attended the surgery in the previous 12 months • A discrete choice experiment to explore trade-offs patients make between access and other factors • A survey of practice staff • Qualitative case studies in 8 practices • Interviews with PCT access facilitators The methods and results for each of these studies are described below, in relation to each of the research objectives.<br/

Health promotion regarding STIs in young people

This article explores health promotion techniques regarding STIs in one of the highest risk age groups, young people under 25 years of age.  The article also explores the link between socioeconomic deprivation and poor sexual health.  The role and responsibility of the nurse is promoting holistic wellbeing and sexual health is examined

Statistical Mechanics of Quantum Dots

Contains table of contents for Section 2, description of one research project and a list of publications.Joint Services Electronics Program Contract DAAL03-92-C-000

Efficacy of Telephone Information and Advice on Welfare: the Need for Realist Evaluation

In the context of increased marketisation in welfare provision, formal information and advice (I&A) is widely assumed to enable users, as consumers, to make informed choices about services, support and care. There is emerging evidence that telephone I&A services represent important ways of providing such services. This article proposes a framework that identifies key areas of focus delineating the efficacy of I&A, which is then used in a comprehensive literature review to critique existing research on outcomes and/or impact of telephone I&A. Existing, predominately quantitative, research has critical weaknesses. There is a lack of adequate contextual focus, understanding agency, and how I&A is used in different contexts to influence causal processes. The article contends that the efficacy of I&A is not adequately reported and provides much needed theoretical clarity in key areas, including the desirability of further realist evaluation approaches

Pulsation Amplitude Effects Of Altering Characteristics Of Gas-Liquid Dampeners

Lectur

Accounting for prediction uncertainty when inferring subsurface fault slip

This study lays the groundwork for a new generation of earthquake source models based on a general formalism that rigorously quantifies and incorporates the impact of uncertainties in fault slip inverse problems. We distinguish two sources of uncertainty when considering the discrepancy between data and forward model predictions. The first class of error is induced by imperfect measurements and is often referred to as observational error. The second source of uncertainty is generally neglected and corresponds to the prediction error, that is the uncertainty due to imperfect forward modelling. Yet the prediction error can be shown to scale approximately with the size of earthquakes and thus can dwarf the observational error, particularly for large events. Both sources of uncertainty can be formulated using the misfit covariance matrix, C_χ, which combines a covariance matrix for observation errors, C_d and a covariance matrix for prediction errors, C_p, associated with inaccurate model predictions. We develop a physically based stochastic forward model to treat the model prediction uncertainty and show how C_p can be constructed to explicitly account for some of the inaccuracies in the earth model. Based on a first-order perturbation approach, our formalism relates C_p to uncertainties on the elastic parameters of different regions (e.g. crust, mantle, etc.). We demonstrate the importance of including C_p using a simple example of an infinite strike-slip fault in the quasi-static approximation. In this toy model, we treat only uncertainties in the 1-D depth distribution of the shear modulus. We discuss how this can be extended to general 3-D cases and applied to other parameters (e.g. fault geometry) using our formalism for C_p. The improved modelling of C_p is expected to lead to more reliable images of the earthquake rupture, that are more resistant to overfitting of data and include more realistic estimates of uncertainty on inferred model parameters

The Effect of Fatigue on Lower Extremity Joint Kinematics and Performance

OBJECTIVE ACL injuries are multifactorial in nature meaning they can be the result of faulty biomechanics, individual genetic predisposition, or environmental factors (Alentorn- Geli et al., 2009). A focus of most healthcare professionals including physical therapists and athletic trainers includes the screening for preventable risk factors for non- contact ACL injuries. Preventable risk factors include asymmetry between a person’s limbs, decreased hamstring strength, increased muscle fatigue, decreased landing angle of hip and knee Tlexion, increased valgus landing, and lack of Tlexibility in the hip internal rotators (Brophy, 2021). Given the short and long-term negative consequences of an ACL injury, it is important for healthcare providers to explore screening and prevention techniques to employ with at-risk athletic populations