417 research outputs found
Plant communities of the upper Murrumbidgee catchment in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
Native vegetation of the upper Murrumbidgee catchment in southeast NSW and the Australian Capital-Territory (ACT) was classified into 75 plant communities across 18 NSW Vegetation Classes within nine Structural-Formations. Plant communities were derived through numerical analysis of 4,106 field survey plots including 3,787-plots from 58 existing survey datasets and 319 new plots, which were sampled in under surveyed ecosystems. All plant-communities are described at a level appropriate for discrimination of threatened ecological communities and distinct-vegetation mapping units.
The classification describes plant communities in the context of the upper Murrumbidgee catchment and surrounding-landscapes of similar ecological character. It incorporates and, in some instances, refines identification of plant-communities described in previous classifications of alpine vegetation, forest ecosystems, woodlands and grasslands-across the Australian Alps and South Eastern Highlands within the upper Murrumbidgee catchment. Altitude,-precipitation, soil saturation, lithology, slope, aspect and landscape position were all important factors in guiding-plant community associations.
Nine Threatened Ecological Communities under Commonwealth, NSW and ACT legislation occur in the upper-Murrumbidgee catchment. This study has also identified five additional plant communities which are highly restricted-in distribution and may require active management or protection to ensure their survival
Linking manure properties to phosphorus solubility in calcareous soils: Importance of the manure carbon to phosphorus ratio
Land application of manure can increase P transfer in runoff,
although the risk depends in part on the characteristics of the manure.
We assessed this for calcareous soils using manures from swine (Sus
domesticus) fed one of five barley varieties (Hordeum vulgare L.),
including four low phytate mutants and a normal variety, to produce
manures with a range of total P (6.8-4.9 g P water-soluble P
(4.3-8.0 g P kg-'), total N/P ratios (2.5:1-5.5:1), and total C/P ratios
(31:1-67:1). Two experiments were conducted. First, manures were
incorporated into three soils on a N (150 mg N kg-' soil) or P (27.5 mg
P kg-1 soil) basis three times during a 7-wk incubation. Second, 10
additional soils were incubated for 2 wk following a single P-based
manure application (82.5 mg P kg-i soil). Water and NaHCO3 (Olsen)
extractable P were determined at regular intervals, with microbial
P determined by fumigation-extraction after each incubation. For
N-based application (i.e., variable P amendment), extractable P increased
with total P applied. For P-based applications, the increase
in soil P was more closely correlated to microbial P concentration than
manure P composition or soil properties. These results suggest that
stimulation of the microbial biomass by added organic C is important
in determining soil P solubility following manure application
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A technical study of TLD beta calibration factor for exposures to depleted uranium
The beta calibration factor for converting light output (on reading a thermoluminescent dosimeter) to shallow dose equivalent has been reexamined through theoretical calculations and experimental measurements. The results support the previously determined value for contact with a depleted uranium slab but indicate that for many actual workplace situations, the contact value may be overly conservative
The impact of COVID-19 on PRO development, collection and implementation: views of UK and Ireland professionals
Background
PROs are valuable tools in clinical care to capture patients’ perspectives of their health, symptoms and quality of life. However the COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on all aspects of life, in particular healthcare and research. This study explores the views of UK and Irish health professionals, third sector and pharmaceutical industry representatives and academic researchers on the impact of COVID-19 on PRO collection, use and development in clinical practice.
Methods
A volunteer sample took part in a 10 question cross sectional qualitative survey, on the impact of COVID-19, administered online via Qualtrics. Demographic data was descriptively analysed, and the qualitative free text response data was subject to thematic analysis and summarised within the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) framework.
Results
Forty nine participants took part located in a range of UK settings and professions. Participants highlighted staff strengths during the pandemic including colleagues’ flexibility and ability to work collaboratively and the adoption of novel communication tools. Weaknesses were a lack of staff capacity to continue or start PRO projects and insufficient digital infrastructure to continue studies online. Opportunities included the added interest in PROs as useful outcomes, the value of electronic PROs for staff and patients particularly in relation to integration into systems and the electronic patient records. However, these opportunities came with an understanding that digital exclusion may be an issue for patient groups. Threats identified included that the majority of PRO research was stopped or delayed and funding streams were cut.
Conclusions
Although most PRO research was on hold during the pandemic, the consensus from participants was that PROs as meaningful outcomes were valued more than ever. From the opportunities afforded by the pandemic the development of electronic PROs and their integration into electronic patient record systems and clinical practice could be a lasting legacy from the COVID-19 pandemic
Electrical stimulation-induced cell clustering in cultured neural networks
Support: International Collaboration Program, NBS-ERC /KOSEF (Korea Science and Engineering Foundation); NIH NS-044287;
Nanobiotechnology Centre (NBTC), an STC program of the National Science Foundation under Agreement Number ECS-9876771
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Parity Violation Constraints Using Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Spectra from 2006 and 2007 Observations by the QUaD Polarimeter
We constrain parity-violating interactions to the surface of last scattering using spectra from the QUaD experiment’s second and third seasons of observations by searching for a possible systematic rotation of the polarization directions of cosmic microwave background photons. We measure the rotation angle due to such a possible ‘‘cosmological birefringence’’ to be (random) (systematic) using QUaD’s 100 and 150 GHz temperature-curl and gradient-curl spectra over the spectra over the multipole range 200 << 2000, consistent with null, and constrain Lorentz-violating interactions to <2 10 GeV (68% confidence limit). This is the best constraint to date on electrodynamic parity violation on cosmological scales.Astronom
Second and Third Season QUaD Cosmic Microwave Background Temperature and Polarization Power Spectra
We report results from the second and third seasons of observation with the QUaD experiment. Angular
power spectra of the cosmic microwave background are derived for both temperature and polarization at
both 100 GHz and 150 GHz, and as cross-frequency spectra. All spectra are subjected to an extensive
set of jackknife tests to probe for possible systematic contamination. For the implemented data cuts and
processing technique such contamination is undetectable. We analyze the difference map formed between the
100 and 150 GHz bands and find no evidence of foreground contamination in polarization. The spectra are
then combined to form a single set of results which are shown to be consistent with the prevailing LCDM
model. The sensitivity of the polarization results is considerably better than that of any previous experiment—
for the first time multiple acoustic peaks are detected in the E-mode power spectrum at high significance
The QUAD Galactic Plane Survey 1: Maps and Analysis of Diffuse Emission
We present a survey of ~ 800 square degrees of the galactic plane observed with the QUaD telescope. The
primary product of the survey are maps of Stokes I, Q and U parameters at 100 and 150 GHz, with spatial
resolution 5 and 3.5 arcminutes respectively. Two regions are covered, spanning approximately 245 - 295°
and 315 - 5° in galactic longitude l, and -4 < b < +4° in galactic latitude b. At 0:02° square pixel size, the
median sensitivity is 74 and 107 kJy/sr at 100 GHz and 150 GHz respectively in I, and 98 and 120 kJy/sr for
Q and U. In total intensity, we find an average spectral index of α = 2:35+-0:01(stat)+-0:02(sys) for |b| ≤1°,
indicative of emission components other than thermal dust. A comparison to published dust, synchrotron
and free-free models implies an excess of emission in the 100 GHz QUaD band, while better agreement is
found at 150 GHz. A smaller excess is observed when comparing QUaD 100 GHz data to WMAP 5-year
W band; in this case the excess is likely due to the wider bandwidth of QUaD. Combining the QUaD and
WMAP data, a two-component spectral fit to the inner galactic plane (|b| ≤1°) yields mean spectral indices
of αs = -0:32+-0:03 and αd = 2:84+-0:03; the former is interpreted as a combination of the spectral indices
of synchrotron, free-free and dust, while the second is attributed largely to the thermal dust continuum. In
the same galactic latitude range, the polarization data show a high degree of alignment perpendicular to the
expected galactic magnetic field direction, and exhibit mean polarization fraction 1:38+-0:08(stat)+-0:1(sys)%
at 100 GHz and 1:70+-0:06(stat)+-0:1(sys)% at 150 GHz. We find agreement in polarization fraction between
QUaD 100 GHz and WMAP W band, the latter giving 1:1+-0:4%
Formal ratification of subseries for the Pleistocene Series of the Quaternary System
The Pleistocene Series/Epoch of the Quaternary System/ Period has been divided unofficially into three subseries/ subepochs since at least the 1870s. On 30th January, 2020, the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences ratified two proposals approved by the International Commission on Stratigraphy formalizing: 1) the Lower Pleistocene Subseries, comprising the Gelasian Stage and the superjacent Calabrian Stage, with a base defined by the GSSP for the Gelasian Stage, the Pleistocene Series, and the Quaternary System, and currently dated at 2.58 Ma; and 2) the term Upper Pleistocene, at the rank of subseries, with a base currently undefined but provisionally dated at ~129 ka. Defining the Upper Pleistocene Subseries and its corresponding stage with a GSSP is in progress. The Middle Pleistocene Subseries is defined by the recently ratified GSSP for the Chibanian Stage currently dated at 0.774 Ma. These ratifications complete the official division of the Pleistocene into three subseries/ subepochs, in uniformity with the similarly subdivided Holocene Series/Epoch.</p
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