1,564 research outputs found
Regional climate change and harmful algal blooms in the northeast Atlantic
We investigated long-term spatial variability in a number of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the northeast Atlantic and North Sea using data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder. Over the last four decades. some dinoflagellate taxa showed pronounced variation in the south and east of the North Sea, with the most significant increases being restricted to the adjacent waters off Norway. There was also a general decrease along the eastern coast of the United Kingdom. The most prominent feature in the interannual bloom frequencies over the last four decades was the anomalously high values recorded in the late 1980s in the northern and central North Sea areas. The only mesoscale area in the northeast Atlantic to show a significant increase in bloom formation over the last decade was the Norwegian coastal region. The changing spatial patterns of HAB taxa and the frequency of bloom formation are discussed in relation to regional climate change, in particular, changes in temperature, salinity, and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Areas highly vulnerable to the effects of regional climate change on HABs are Norwegian coastal waters and the Skagerrak. Other vulnerable areas include Danish coastal waters, and to a lesser extent, the German and Dutch Bight and the northern Irish Sea. Quite apart from eutrophication, our results give a preview of what might happen to certain HAB genera under changing climatic conditions in temperate environments and their responses to variability of climate oscillations Such as the NAO
A note on fermions in holographic QCD
We study the fermionic sector of a probe D8-brane in the supergravity
background made of D4-branes compactified on a circle with supersymmetry broken
explicitly by the boundary conditions. At low energies the dual field theory is
effectively four-dimensional and has proved surprisingly successful in
recovering qualitative and quantitative properties of QCD. We investigate
fluctuations of the fermionic fields on the probe D8-brane and interpret these
as mesinos (fermionic superpartners of mesons). We demonstrate that the masses
of these modes are comparable to meson masses and show that their interactions
with ordinary mesons are not suppressed.Comment: 21+1 pp, 1 figure; v2: typos corrected, refs. adde
Transferring irrigation management responsibility in Asia: Results of a workshop - FAO/IIMI Expert Consultation on Irrigation Management Transfer in Asia, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, 25-29 September 1995
Irrigation managementPrivatizationFarmer participationIrrigated farming
Isgur-Wise Functions from the Mit Bag Model
The Isgur-Wise functions for the ground state to ground state semileptonic
decays involving transitions are calculated from the
(modified) MIT bag model. It is checked that the results for the decays
and agree well with experiment. Predictions for the decays , and are given
and discussed.Comment: 12 pages (3 figures available upon request), LaTeX, TPJU - 9/9
An Exact String Theory Model of Closed Time-Like Curves and Cosmological Singularities
We study an exact model of string theory propagating in a space-time
containing regions with closed time-like curves (CTCs) separated from a finite
cosmological region bounded by a Big Bang and a Big Crunch. The model is an
non-trivial embedding of the Taub-NUT geometry into heterotic string theory
with a full conformal field theory (CFT) definition, discovered over a decade
ago as a heterotic coset model. Having a CFT definition makes this an excellent
laboratory for the study of the stringy fate of CTCs, the Taub cosmology, and
the Milne/Misner-type chronology horizon which separates them. In an effort to
uncover the role of stringy corrections to such geometries, we calculate the
complete set of alpha' corrections to the geometry. We observe that the key
features of Taub-NUT persist in the exact theory, together with the emergence
of a region of space with Euclidean signature bounded by time-like curvature
singularities. Although such remarks are premature, their persistence in the
exact geometry is suggestive that string theory theory is able to make physical
sense of the Milne/Misner singularities and the CTCs, despite their
pathological character in General Relativity. This may also support the
possibility that CTCs may be viable in some physical situations, and may be a
natural ingredient in pre-Big-Bang cosmological scenarios.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figures. V2: discussion of computation of metric refined,
references adde
The ecology of infrastructure decommissioning in the North Sea: what we need to know and how to achieve it
As decommissioning of oil and gas (O&G) installations intensifies in the North Sea, and worldwide, debate rages regarding the fate of these novel habitats and their associated biota—a debate that has important implications for future decommissioning of offshore wind farms (OWFs). Calls to relax complete removal requirements in some circumstances and allow part of an O&G installation to be left in the marine environment are increasing. Yet knowledge regarding the biological communities that develop on these structures and their ecological role in the North Sea is currently insufficient to inform such decommissioning decisions. To focus debate regarding decommissioning policy and guide ecological research, we review environmental policy objectives in the region, summarize existing knowledge regarding ecological aspects of decommissioning for both O&G and OWF installations, and identify approaches to address knowledge gaps through science–industry collaboration. We find that in some cases complete removal will conflict with other policies regarding protection and restoration of reefs, as well as the conservation of species within the region. Key ecological considerations that are rarely considered during decommissioning decisions are: (i) provision of reef habitat, (ii) productivity of offshore ecosystems, (iii) enhancement of biodiversity, (iv) protection of the seabed from trawling, and (v) enhancement of connectivity. Knowledge gaps within these areas will best be addressed using industry infrastructure and vessels for scientific investigations, re-analysis of historical data held by industry, scientific training of industry personnel, joint research funding opportunities, and trial decommissioning projects
A Note on D-brane - Anti-D-brane Interactions in Plane Wave Backgrounds
We study aspects of the interaction between a D-brane and an anti-D-brane in
the maximally supersymmetric plane wave background of type IIB superstring
theory, which is equipped with a mass parameter mu. An early such study in flat
spacetime (mu=0) served to sharpen intuition about D-brane interactions,
showing in particular the key role of the ``stringy halo'' that surrounds a
D-brane. The halo marks the edge of the region within which tachyon
condensation occurs, opening a gateway to new non-trivial vacua of the theory.
It seems pertinent to study the fate of the halo for non--zero mu. We focus on
the simplest cases of a Lorentzian brane with p=1 and an Euclidean brane with
p=-1, the D--instanton. For the Lorentzian brane, we observe that the halo is
unaffected by the presence of non--zero mu. This most likely extends to other
(Lorentzian) p. For the Euclidean brane, we find that the halo is affected by
non-zero mu. As this is related to subtleties in defining the exchange
amplitude between Euclidean branes in the open string sector, we expect this to
extend to all Euclidean branes in this background.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX, 2 eps figures. v2: a reference and some clarifying
remarks added; v3: Considerably revised version; halo unaffected by plane
wave background for Lorentzian branes, but Euclidean branes' halo is modifie
Mobility deficit – Rehabilitate, an opportunity for functionality
There are many pathological conditions that cause mobility deficits and that ultimately influence someone’s autonomy.Aims: to evaluate patients with mobility deficits functional status; to implement a Rehabilitation Nursing intervention plan; to monitor health gains through mobility deficits rehabilitation.Conclusion: Early intervention and the implementation of a nursing rehabilitation intervention plan results in health gains (direct or indirect), decreases the risk of developing Pressure Ulcers (PU) and the risk of developing a situation of immobility that affects patients’ autonomy and quality of life
The Single-Particle density of States, Bound States, Phase-Shift Flip, and a Resonance in the Presence of an Aharonov-Bohm Potential
Both the nonrelativistic scattering and the spectrum in the presence of the
Aharonov-Bohm potential are analyzed. The single-particle density of states
(DOS) for different self-adjoint extensions is calculated. The DOS provides a
link between different physical quantities and is a natural starting point for
their calculation. The consequences of an asymmetry of the S matrix for the
generic self-adjoint extension are examined.
I. Introduction
II. Impenetrable flux tube and the density of states
III. Penetrable flux tube and self-adjoint extensions
IV. The S matrix and scattering cross sections
V. The Krein-Friedel formula and the resonance
VI. Regularization
VII. The R --> 0 limit and the interpretation of self-adjoint extensions
VIII. Energy calculations
IX. The Hall effect in the dilute vortex limit
X. Persistent current of free electrons in the plane pierced by a flux tube
XI. The 2nd virial coefficient of nonrelativistic interacting anyons
XII. Discussion of the results and open questionsComment: 68 pages, plain latex, 7 figures, 3 references and one figure added
plus a few minor text correction
Orlistat after initial dietary/behavioural treatment: changes in body weight and dietary maintenance in subjects with sleep related breathing disorders
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and weight loss is recommended to overweight or obese patients with SRBD. However, maintenance of weight loss is difficult to achieve and strategies for weight loss maintenance is needed. Orlistat is a pharmacological agent that reduces the intestinal absorption of fat and may favour long-term weight maintenance.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To examine the change in body weight and dietary intake during a 1-year treatment with orlistat after an initial weight loss in obese subjects with SRBD. Furthermore, to explore the dietary determinants of weight maintenance during treatment with orlistat.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Men and women with SRBD aged 32-62 years (n = 63) participated in a 3-month dietary intervention to increase intake of vegetables and fruit. After an initial weight loss of 3.4 kg they achieved a mean body mass index of 34.3 ± 4.7 kg/m2. Subsequently they were treated with orlistat for 1 year. During this year, dietary and behavioural interventions to attain weight loss were provided in the course of 14 group sessions. Dietary intake, energy density and food choices were assessed with a food frequency questionnaire before and after orlistat treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>With orlistat, body weight decreased by a mean of 3.5 kg (95% CI 1.5, 5.5). The dietary E% from saturated fat, intake of fatty dairy products and energy density increased after 1 year while intakes of oils, fish and vegetables decreased (all P < 0.05). After multivariate adjustments, weight loss was associated with E% protein (R2<sub>adj </sub>= 0.19 [95% CI 0.10, 0.46]), and inversely associated with E% saturated fat (R2<sub>adj </sub>= 0.20 [95% CI 0.12, 0.47]) and fatty dairy products (R2<sub>adj </sub>= 0.23 [95% CI 0.12, 0.49]).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Orlistat induced further weight loss, but dietary compliance declined with time. Increasing dietary protein and restricting saturated fat and fatty dairy products may facilitate weight loss with orlistat.</p
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