Rectangular Hierarchical Cartograms for Socio-Economic Data

We present rectangular hierarchical cartograms for mapping socio-economic data. These density-normalising cartograms size spatial units by population, increasing the ease with which data for densely populated areas can be visually resolved compared to more conventional cartographic projections. Their hierarchical nature enables the study of spatial granularity in spatial hierarchies, hierarchical categorical data and multivariate data through false hierarchies. They are space-filling representations that make efficient use of space and their rectangular nature (which aims to be as square as possible) improves the ability to compare the sizes (therefore population) of geographical units. We demonstrate these cartograms by mapping the Office for National Statistics Output Area Classification (OAC) by unit postcode (1.52 million in Great Britain) through the postcode hierarchy, using these to explore spatial variation. We provide rich and detailed spatial summaries of socio-economic characteristics of population as types of treemap, exploring the effects of reconfiguring them to study spatial and non-spatial aspects of the OAC classification

Postirradiation behavior of p-channel charge-coupled devices irradiated at 153 K

The displacement damage hardness that can be achieved using p-channel charge-coupled devices (CCD) was originally demonstrated in 1997, and since then a number of other studies have demonstrated an improved tolerance to radiation-induced CTI when compared to n-channel CCDs. A number of recent studies have also shown that the temperature history of the device after the irradiation impacts the performance of the detector, linked to the mobility of defects at different temperatures. This study describes the initial results from an e2v technologies p-channel CCD204 irradiated at 153 K with a 10 MeV equivalent proton fluences of 1.24×109 and 1.24×1011 protons cm-2. The dark current, cosmetic quality and the number of defects identified using trap pumping immediately were monitored after the irradiation for a period of 150 hours with the device held at 153 K and then after different periods of time at room temperature. The device also exhibited a flatband voltage shift of around 30 mV / krad, determined by the reduction in full well capacity

Evolution and impact of defects in a p-channel CCD after cryogenic proton-irradiation

P-channel CCDs have been shown to display improved tolerance to radiation-induced charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) when compared to n-channel CCDs. However, the defect distribution formed during irradiation is expected to be temperature dependent due to the differences in lattice energy caused by a temperature change. This has been tested through defect analysis of two p-channel e2v CCD204 devices, one irradiated at room temperature and one at a cryogenic temperature (153K). Analysis is performed using the method of single trap pumping. The dominant charge trapping defects at these conditions have been identified as the donor level of the silicon divacancy and the carbon interstitial defect. The defect parameters are analysed both immediately post irradiation and following several subsequent room-temperature anneal phases up until a cumulative anneal time of approximately 10 months. We have also simulated charge transfer in an irradiated CCD pixel using the defect distribution from both the room-temperature and cryogenic case, to study how the changes affect imaging performance. The results demonstrate the importance of cryogenic irradiation and annealing studies, with large variations seen in the defect distribution when compared to a device irradiated at room-temperature, which is the current standard procedure for radiation-tolerance testing

Effects of duty cycles on passive acoustic monitoring of southern resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) occurrence and behavior

Funding from the ECHO Program of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.Long-term passive acoustic monitoring of cetaceans is frequently limited by the data storage capacity and battery life of the recording system. Duty cycles are a mechanism for subsampling during the recording process that facilitates long-term passive acoustic studies. While duty cycles are often used, there has been little investigation on the impact that this approach has on the ability to answer questions about a species' behavior and occurrence. In this study, the effects of duty cycling on the acoustic detection of southern resident killer whales (SRKW) (Orcinus orca) were investigated. Continuous acoustic data were subsampled to create 288 subsampled datasets with cycle lengths from 5 to 180 min and listening proportions from 1% to 67%. Duty cycles had little effect on the detection of the daily presence of SRKW, especially when using cycle lengths of less than an hour. However, cycle lengths of 15–30 min and listening proportions of at least 33% were required to accurately calculate durations of acoustic bouts and identify those bouts to ecotype. These results show that the optimal duty cycle depends on the scale of the research question and provide a framework for quantitative analysis of duty cycles for other marine species.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Biogeography of American Northwest Hot Spring A/B′-Lineage Synechococcus Populations

© Copyright © 2020 Becraft, Wood, Cohan and Ward. Previous analyses have shown how diversity among unicellular cyanobacteria inhabiting island-like hot springs is structured relative to physical separation and physiochemical differences among springs, especially at local to regional scales. However, these studies have been limited by the low resolution provided by the molecular markers surveyed. We analyzed large datasets obtained by high-throughput sequencing of a segment of the photosynthesis gene psaA from samples collected in hot springs from geothermal basins in Yellowstone National Park, Montana, and Oregon, all known from previous studies to contain populations of A/B′-lineage Synechococcus. The fraction of identical sequences was greater among springs separated by 50 km, and springs separated by \u3e800 km shared sequence variants only rarely. Phylogenetic analyses provided evidence for endemic lineages that could be related to geographic isolation and/or geochemical differences on regional scales. Ecotype Simulation 2 was used to predict putative ecotypes (ecologically distinct populations), and their membership, and canonical correspondence analysis was used to examine the geographical and geochemical bases for variation in their distribution. Across the range of Oregon and Yellowstone, geographical separation explained the largest percentage of the differences in distribution of ecotypes (9.5% correlated to longitude; 9.4% to latitude), with geochemical differences explaining the largest percentage of the remaining differences in distribution (7.4–9.3% correlated to magnesium, sulfate, and sulfide). Among samples within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, geochemical differences significantly explained the distribution of ecotypes (6.5–9.3% correlated to magnesium, boron, sulfate, silicon dioxide, chloride, and pH). Nevertheless, differences in the abundance and membership of ecotypes in Yellowstone springs with similar chemistry suggested that allopatry may be involved even at local scales. Synechococcus populations have diverged both by physical isolation and physiochemical differences, and populations on surprisingly local scales have been evolving independently

Biphasic responses of the brachial artery diameter following forearm occlusion: a blunted response in the elderly

BACKGROUND: The purpose was to examine the temporal response of the brachial artery diameter following 5 minutes of forearm occlusion in young men. A secondary objective was to compare the main features of the temporal pattern between young and old. METHODS: Sixteen young (28 ± 8 yrs) and fifteen older (85 ± 8 yrs) men underwent high-resolution ultrasonography of the brachial artery before and after five minutes of forearm occlusion. RESULTS: Following release of the pressure cuff the brachial artery diameter exhibits a temporal biphasic response. Initially, there is a significant reduction in brachial diameter (NIL) compared to baseline (BASE), followed by a rapid increase to a PEAK at 41 sec post release. When comparing the magnitude of the decrease in diameter and the Brachial Artery Flow Mediated Dilation (BAFMD) between Young and Old, older subjects demonstrated a blunted response (Magnitude of Decrease: Young: 2.0%; Old: 0.4%, p = 0.015, and BAFMD: Young: 7.7%; Old: 2.3%, p = 0.001). Finally, a significant relationship was noted between the magnitude of decrease and BAFMD (r = -0.44, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Examination of the temporal response of the brachial artery diameter following 5 minutes of forearm occlusion reveals a biphasic pattern in all participants. Specific features of this pattern are blunted in older adults compared with younger subjects. Finally, the magnitude of the drop in diameter following forearm occlusion correlates with the magnitude of the BAFMD

The cost of illness and economic burden of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in Australia : a national online survey

Introduction: Endometriosis has a significant cost of illness burden in Europe, UK and the USA, with the majority of costs coming from reductions in productivity. However, information is scarce on if there is a differing impact between endometriosis and other causes of chronic pelvic pain, and if there are modifiable factors, such as pain severity, that may be significant contributors to the overall burden. Methods: An online survey was hosted by SurveyMonkey and the link was active between February to April 2017. Women aged 18–45, currently living in Australia, who had either a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis via laparoscopy or chronic pelvic pain without a diagnosis of endometriosis were included. The retrospective component of the WERF EndoCost tool was used to determine direct healthcare costs, direct non-healthcare costs (carers) and indirect costs due to productivity loss. Estimates were extrapolated to the Australian population using published prevalence estimates. Results: 407 valid responses were received. The cost of illness burden was significant in women with chronic pelvic pain (Int $16,970 to$ 20,898 per woman per year) irrespective of whether they had a diagnosis of endometriosis. The majority of costs (75–84%) were due to productivity loss. Both absolute and relative productivity costs in Australia were higher than previous estimates based on data from Europe, UK and USA. Pain scores showed the strongest relationship to productivity costs, a 12.5-fold increase in costs between minimal to severe pain. The total economic burden per year in Australia in the reproductive aged population (at 10% prevalence) was 6.50 billion Int $. Conclusion: Similar to studies in European, British and American populations, productivity costs are the greatest contributor to overall costs. Given pain is the most significant contributor, priority should be given to improving pain control in women with pelvic pain

Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot Excavator

The Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) excavator robot is a teleoperated mobility platform with a space regolith excavation capability. This more compact, lightweight design (<50 kg) has counterrotating bucket drums, which results in a net-zero reaction horizontal force due to the self-cancellation of the symmetrical, equal but opposing, digging forces

The Inadequate Treatment of Pain: Collateral Damage from the War on Drugs

Jason Nickerson and Amir Attaran examine the vast inequities in medical pain relief around the world and argue that the global control of licit narcotics be shifted from the International Narcotic Control Board to WHO

Public Scholarship at Indiana University-Purdue University

Community engagement is a defining attribute of the campus, and the current Strategic Plan identifies a number of strategic actions to “Deepen our Commitment to Community Engagement.” In May 2015, A Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on Public Scholarship was established in May, 2015 to address the campus strategic goals to “recognize and reward contributions to community engagement” and “define community engagement work…in Faculty Annual Reports and promotion and tenure guidelines.” At IUPUI, scholarly work occurs in research and creative activity, teaching, and/or service. In terms of promotion and tenure, faculty members must declare an area of excellence in one of these three domains. The FLC on Public Scholarship is a 3-year initiative co-sponsored by Academic Affairs and the Center for Service and Learning (CSL). Seven faculty members from across campus were selected to be part of the 2015-2016 FLC, and two co-chairs worked closely with CSL staff to plan and facilitate the ongoing work. The FLC is charged with defining public scholarship, identifying criteria to evaluate this type of scholarship, assist faculty in documenting their community-engaged work, and working with department Chairs and Deans in adapting criteria into promotion and tenure materials. The intended audiences for this work includes faculty, community-engaged scholars, public scholars, promotion and tenure committees, external reviewers, and department Chairs and Deans. The following provides background to the campus context and a brief summary of work to date, including definition and proposed criteria to evaluate public scholarship.IUPUI Center for Service and Learning; IUPUI Office of Academic Affair