A discrete slug population model determined by egg production

Slugs are significant pests in agriculture (as well as a nuisance to gardeners), and it is therefore important to understand their population dynamics for the construction of efficient and effective control measures. Differential equation models of slug populations require the inclusion of large (variable) temporal delays, and strong seasonal forcing results in a non-autonomous system. This renders such models open to only a limited amount of rigorous analysis. In this paper, we derive a novel batch model based purely upon the quantity of eggs produced at different times of the year. This model is open to considerable reduction; from the resulting two variable discrete-time system it is possible to reconstruct the dynamics of the full population across the year and give conditions for extinction or global stability and persistence. Furthermore, the steady state temporal population distribution displays qualitatively different behavior with only small changes in the survival probability of slugs. The model demonstrates how small variations in the favorability of different years may result in widely different slug population fluctuations between consecutive years, and is in good agreement with field data

Health and Wellbeing:Challenging Co- Design for Difficult Conversations, Successes and Failures of the Leapfrog Approach

Conversations are an everyday element of health and social care practice, and improving them could lead to widespread positive impacts on care provision. We present three initiatives to improve difficult conversation through three case studies, each using co-design to produce tools for later use by practitioners. The approach taken is knowingly risky, as tools can be difficult to co-design and difficult to encourage others to use, leading to failures as well as successes. Alongside specific empirical insights from the case studies we discuss the benefits of co-designing flexible tools for ongoing use and adaptation by practitioners, and the implications of this approach for the sustainability and impact of co-design initiatives

Capturing Debriefing and Enhancing Reflection within Simulated Clinical Learning Environments

This article presents findings from an evaluation of a new A3-size learner notes sheet designed for use by healthcare students engaging in clinical simulation and clinical skills sessions. The notes sheet consists of an adapted form of the SBAR (situation, background, assessment, response) tool, whilst capturing post-simulation oral debriefing provided by a facilitator. Additionally, the Driscoll (2007)model is used to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their engagement in clinical simulation. Two cohorts of students, who engaged in separate simulation sessions, completed the A3 sheet. The study featured 33 midwifery and 21 operating department practitioner (ODP) students undertaking a simulation. Documentary analysis was undertaken to identify the depth of reflective writing of both groups of students. Midwifery student participants reflected on their experiences of simulation at a slightly deeper level than their ODP counterparts. All students adhered to the structure of the notes sheet when receiving their briefing from the facilitator and when asked to write their reflective accounts. This study has sought to explore an under-researched area of clinical simulation: the extent to which healthcare students can utilise reflection when engaging with a clinical scenario within a simulated learning environment

The Heat is On: Exploring User Behaviour in a Multisensory Virtual Environment for Fire Evacuation

Understanding validity of user behaviour in Virtual Environments (VEs) is critical as they are increasingly being used for serious Health and Safety applications such as predicting human behaviour and training in hazardous situations. This paper presents a comparative study exploring user behaviour in VE-based fire evacuation and investigates whether this is affected by the addition of thermal and olfactory simulation. Participants (N=43) were exposed to a virtual fire in an office building. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of participant attitudes and behaviours found deviations from those we would expect in real life (e.g. pre-evacuation actions), but also valid behaviours like fire avoidance. Potentially important differences were found between multisensory and audiovisual-only conditions (e.g. perceived urgency). We conclude VEs have significant potential in safety-related applications, and that multimodality may afford additional uses in this context, but the identified limitations of behavioural validity must be carefully considered to avoid misapplication of the technology.Comment: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing System

High Redshift LAEs and their Cosmic Evolution: Morphologies, SFR and AGN Activity from z~2 to 6

We studied a large sample of ∼ 4000 high redshift Lyman-alpha Emitters (LAEs) in order to determine their properties and infer how they might have evolved into the local Universe. This was done through the exploration of the SC4K survey (Sobral et al. 2018a) and making use of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Chandra X-ray Observatory (Chandra) and the Very Large Array (VLA). We find that SC4K LAEs are mostly (69 ± 4%) compact disky galaxies (average S ́ersic index, n = 1.9 ± 2.2) The average star formation rate SFRLyα of LAEs is ≈ 17 M⊙ yr−1 . We find that SFR increases with increasing stellar mass. We also observed a characteristic ‘peak’ in SFR at M ∼ 10^9.3 M⊙, at redshift z ∼ 2.5, and progressing to higher stellar masses at higher redshifts. We find a total of 303 X-ray or radio detected active galactic nuclei (AGN) within the SC4K catalogue. These AGN have a range of black hole accretion rates (BHARs) from ∼ 0.03 M⊙ yr−1 to ∼ 3.3 M⊙ yr−1. The AGN fraction increases with increasing Lyα luminosity and decreases with increasing redshift, peaking at z ∼ 3. LAEs found at z ∼ 2−6 with a stellar mass M ∼ 10^10 M⊙ and a SFR ∼ 5.4M⊙yr−1 are consistent with being progenitors of Milky Way-like galaxies progenitor. Additionally, we found that the majority of the SC4K LAEs consists of cluster-like progenitors that will go on to form the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the local Universe

Capturing Debriefing and Enhancing Reflection within Simulated Clinical Learning Environments

This article presents findings from an evaluation of a new A3-size learner notes sheet designed for use by healthcare students engaging in clinical simulation and clinical skills sessions. The notes sheet consists of an adapted form of the SBAR (situation,background, assessment, response) tool, whilst capturing post-simulation oral debriefing provided by a facilitator. Additionally, the Driscoll (2007) model is used to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on theirengagement in clinical simulation. Two cohorts of students, who engaged in separate simulation sessions, completed the A3 sheet. Thestudyfeatured 33 midwifery and 21 operating department practitioner (ODP) students undertaking a simulation. Documentary analysis was undertaken to identify the depth of reflective writing of both groups of students. Midwifery student participants reflected on their experiences of simulation at a slightly deeper level than their ODP counterparts. All students adhered to the structure of the notes sheet when receiving their briefing from the facilitator and when asked to write their reflective accounts. This study has sought to explore an under-researched area of clinical simulation: the extent to which healthcare students canutilise reflection when engaging with a clinical scenario within a simulated learning environment

Identifying Influenza Viruses with Resequencing Microarrays

Resequencing microarrays rapidly identify influenza viruses

Insulin Induces Relaxation and Decreases Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Vasoconstriction in Human Placental Vascular Bed in a Mechanism Mediated by Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels and L-Arginine/Nitric Oxide Pathways

Insulin induces relaxation in umbilical veins, increasing the expression of human amino acid transporter 1 (hCAT-1) and nitric oxide synthesis (NO) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Short-term effects of insulin on vasculature have been reported in healthy subjects and cell cultures; however, its mechanisms remain unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of acute incubation with insulin on the regulation of vascular tone of placental vasculature. HUVECs and chorionic vein rings were isolated from normal pregnancies. The effect of insulin on NO synthesis, L-arginine transport, and hCAT-1 abundance was measured in HUVECs. Isometric tension induced by U46619 (thromboxane A analog) or hydrogen peroxide (HO) were measured in vessels previously incubated 30 min with insulin and/or the following pharmacological inhibitors: tetraethylammonium (KCa channels), iberiotoxin (BKCa channels), genistein (tyrosine kinases), and wortmannin (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). Insulin increases L-arginine transport and NO synthesis in HUVECs. In the placenta, this hormone caused relaxation of the chorionic vein, and reduced perfusion pressure in placental cotyledons. In vessels pre-incubated with insulin, the constriction evoked by HO and U46619 was attenuated and the effect on HO-induced constriction was blocked with tetraethylammonium and iberiotoxin, but not with genistein, or wortmannin. Insulin rapidly dilates the placental vasculature through a mechanism involving activity of BKCa channels and L-arginine/NO pathway in endothelial cells. This phenomenon is related to quick increases of hCAT-1 abundance and higher capacity of endothelial cells to take up L-arginine and generate NO