Biophysical, morphological, canopy optical property, and productivity data from the Superior National Forest

Described here are the results of a NASA field experiment conducted in the Superior National Forest near Ely, Minnesota, during the summers of 1983 and 1984. The purpose of the experiment was to examine the use of remote sensing to provide measurements of biophysical parameters in the boreal forests. Leaf area index, biomass, net primary productivity, canopy coverage, overstory and understory species composition data are reported for about 60 sites, representing a range of stand density and age for aspen and spruce. Leaf, needle, and bark high-resolution spectral reflectance and transmittance data are reported for the major boreal forest species. Canopy bidirectional reflectance measurements are provided from a helicopter-mounted Barnes Multiband Modular Radiometer (MMR) and the Thematic Mapper Simulator (TMS) on the NASA C-130 aircraft

Spectral networks

We introduce new geometric objects called spectral networks. Spectral networks are networks of trajectories on Riemann surfaces obeying certain local rules. Spectral networks arise naturally in four-dimensional N=2 theories coupled to surface defects, particularly the theories of class S. In these theories spectral networks provide a useful tool for the computation of BPS degeneracies: the network directly determines the degeneracies of solitons living on the surface defect, which in turn determine the degeneracies for particles living in the 4d bulk. Spectral networks also lead to a new map between flat GL(K,C) connections on a two-dimensional surface C and flat abelian connections on an appropriate branched cover Sigma of C. This construction produces natural coordinate systems on moduli spaces of flat GL(K,C) connections on C, which we conjecture are cluster coordinate systems.Comment: 87 pages, 48 figures; v2: typos, correction to general rule for signs of BPS count

Should outbreak response immunization be recommended for measles outbreaks in middle- and low-income countries? An update.

Measles caused mortality in >164,000 children in 2008, with most deaths occurring during outbreaks. Nonetheless, the impact and desirability of conducting measles outbreak response immunization (ORI) in middle- and low-income countries has been controversial. World Health Organization guidelines published in 1999 recommended against ORI in such settings, although recently these guidelines have been reversed for countries with measles mortality reduction goals

The evaluation of immediate behavioural outcomes of the syndromic case management approach for the treatement of patients with sexually transmitted infections at PHC centres of South Africa: Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and sexual behaviour

This study aimed to determine the immediate behavioural outcomes of the WHO syndromic case management model for STIs in the public health sector in South Africa, on the levels of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, and behavioural practices (KABPs) concerning STIs. An outcomes evaluation was conducted using KABP methodology. Exit interviews were conducted with 126 STI and non-STI patients at 24 primary health care (PHC) centres in four provinces. Both groups were found to have equally high levels of knowledge about STIs and their attitudes towards and beliefs about STIs were mostly practical and slightly negative, with only promiscuity both stereotyped and stigmatised. However, both groups were found to engage in risky sexual behavioural practices although they also indicated very strong intentions to use condoms in future. Overall, no significant differences were found between the two groups on any of the variables investigated. The implications of these findings for the control and prevention of both classic STIs and HIV/AIDS in South Africa are discussed. Keywords: sexually transmitted infections, syndromic case management, KABP, South Africa, primary health care centres. RÉSUMÉ Le but de cette étude était d'établir les résultats comportementaux immédiats du modèle de l'OMS de la gestion syndromique de cas de maladies sexuellement transmises (STIs) dans le secteur public de santé en Afrique du Sud au niveau de la connaissance, des attitudes, de la croyance et des pratiques (KABP) vis-à-vis les STIs. Une évaluation des résultats a été faite par le biais de la méthodologie KABP. Des entrevues de sortie ont eu lieu auprès de 126 patients de STIs et des patients qui n'en souffrent pas dans 24 centres de santé situés dans quatre provinces. Les résultats ont montré que les deux groupes avaient le même niveau de connaissance des STIs, leur attitude envers les STIs et ce qu'ils croyent des STIs étaient plutôt pratiques et un peu négatifs. La promiscuité était la seule à être stéréotypée et à être stigmatisée. Cependant, tous les deux groupes ont eu des rapports sexuels risqués, même s'ils ont montré une intention d'utiliser des préservatifs dans l'avenir. Dans l'ensemble, il n'y a pas eu de différences importantes entre les deux groupes sur les variables étudiées. Les conséquences de ces résultats pour le contrôle et la prévention des STIs et le VIH/SIDA en Afrique du Sud sont au centre de cette étude. Mots clés : les maladies/infections sexuellement transmises, la gestion syndromique de cas, les centres pour la santé primaire, l'Afrique du Sud. SAHARA J Vol.1(1) 2004: 35-4

The nonperturbative closed string tachyon vacuum to high level

We compute the action of closed bosonic string field theory at quartic order with fields up to level ten. After level four, the value of the potential at the minimum starts oscillating around a nonzero negative value, in contrast with the proposition made in [5]. We try a different truncation scheme in which the value of the potential converges faster with the level. By extrapolating these values, we are able to give a rather precise value for the depth of the potential.Comment: 24 pages. v2: typos corrected, clarified extrapolation in scheme B, and added extrapolated tachyon and dilaton vev's at the end of Section

Guiding slow polar molecules with a charged wire

We demonstrate experimentally the guiding of cold and slow ND3 molecules along a thin charged wire over a distance of ~0.34 m through an entire molecular beam apparatus. Trajectory simulations confirm that both linear and quadratic high-field-seeking Stark states can be efficiently guided from the beam source up to the detector. A density enhancement up to a factor 7 is reached for decelerated beams with velocities ranging down to ~50 m/s generated by the rotating nozzle technique

Classification of Complex Polynomial Vector Fields in One Complex Variable

A classification of the global structure of monic and centered one-variable complex polynomial vector fields is presented.Comment: 57 pages, 35 figures, submitted to the Journal of Difference Equations and Application