Synergistic Effects of Phase Folding and Wavelet Denoising with Applications in Light Curve Analysis

The growing size of cosmological data sets is causing the current human-centric approach to cosmology to become impractical. Autonomous data analysis techniques need to be developed in order to advance the field of cosmology. This research examines the benefits of combining two signal analysis techniques, namely phase folding and wavelet denoising, into a newly-developed suite of autonomous light curve analysis tools which includes aspects of component extraction and period detection. The improvements these tools provide, with respect to autonomy and signal quality, are demonstrated using both simulated and real-world light curve data. Although applied to light curve data, the suite of tools developed in this dissertation are advantageous to the processing, modeling, or extractions to any periodic signal analysis

Experiences and perceptions of Spring Lane Sure Start Children's Centre

Spring Lane Sure Start Children’s Centre was designated in September 2007, and ‘officially opened’ in February 2009. The Centre is housed in refurbished premises within a nursery/school complex in the heart of Northampton and offers diverse health, childcare, early education and support services delivered by a multi-professional team. These services and activities are available to children aged 0-5 years old, and their parents/carers, residing within a catchment area comprising eight ‘Super Output Areas’ in the Castle and St. James ward of Northampton. In April 2009, the Centre for Children and Youth (CCY) – a research centre based at The University of Northampton – was commissioned by Spring Lane Sure Start Children’s Centre to collate and gather evaluative data regarding experiences and perceptions of the Children’s Centre during its first year of activitie

A Policy Impact Evaluation Model For Scotland: Decoupling Single Farm Payments

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impacts of decoupling single farm payments in Scotland. It focuses on aggregate impacts on the agricultural products in domestic and external markets and the spill-over effect of this on the non-agricultural sector as well as an aggregate impact on the Scottish GDP. In order to capture system-wide impacts of the policy reform, a CGE model was formulated and implemented using a social accounting matrix constructed for Scotland. The simulation results suggest that the Scottish agricultural sector may encounter declines in output and factor us as a result of the policy reform. However, this critically depends on two factors: (a) the price effect of the policy reform on Scottish agricultural products relative to the EU average as well as the conditions of changes in world agricultural market prices; and (b) the extent to which customers would be sensitive to price effects of the policy reform. As far as the spill-over effect to the non-agricultural sector is concerned, decoupling of direct payments seems to have a positive spill-over effect. Similarly, the aggregate GDP effect is positive under all simulation scenarios. Critically, the simulation experiments indicate that policy shock may have a symmetrical outcome across the two sectors, with contractions in agriculture being accompanied by expansions in the non-agricultural sector, mainly because of factor market interactions between the two sectors.

The Navigation Surface: A New Database Approach to Creating Multiple Products from High-density Surveys

High-resolution bathymetric surveys are revolutionising hydrographic surveying. ln addition to safety-of-navigation , there are a host of other uses for high-resolution bathymetry, including habitat mapping, hydrologic modelling, marine archaeology, and marine environmental protection. However, at present, there is no suitable method that can be used to produce multiple products that meet the needs of both navigation customers and other users . A research project conducted at the University of New Hampshire developed a model of the seafloor that is optimised for safety-of-navigation . This new technique bypasses the rather subjective, \u27selected soundings\u27 approach. Instead, a statistical model is created directly from the cleaned and processed data. The model - called a \u27navigation surface\u27 - consists of a high-resolution bathymetric grid with an uncertainty value assigned to each node on the grid. The model is then optimised to preserve the least depths over significant features . For each node an uncertainty value is computed which becomes an integral part of the model. The distribution of the points around the mean is combined with the predicted uncertainty of each measurement to form an overall uncertainty model. For low-density single-beam and lead-line surveys, the area between measurements is modelled based on a triangular irregular network (TIN). The uncertainty model then incorporates the distance from the measurement, as well as the uncertainty of the measurement itse lf

Advances in Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a prominent cause of chronic liver disease and may lead to serious complications such as liver failure and need for a transplant. The virus is transmitted via exposure to blood and is classified into various genotypes based on genetic mutations in the virus. Current treatment options for HCV infection are not effective in all patients, and there are limited options for patients infected with a genotype other than genotype 1. Two new medications have been approved recently for treatment of HCV infection. Simeprevir (Olysio®) gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in November 2013, and sofosbuvir (Sovaldi®) was approved in December 2013. Information from clinical trials with each of the medications supports their safety and efficacy in appropriate patient populations. The adverse effects are generally tolerable; however, for some patients, the adverse effects, drug interactions and cost can be limiting factors

Whooping Cough: A Pharmacist\u27s Role in an Emerging Endemic

Pertussis is an acute infectious disease caused by the organism Bordetella pertussis and characterized by a whooping cough. Incidence of the disease had declined since the development of a vaccine, but is now increasing in reported cases. This increase has been attributed to both an increased awareness but also surmised to be related to a decrease in vaccinations. The pertussis vaccine is given in conjunction with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines to children before the age of 6 in five separate injections over the course of four to six years. A booster is now recommended for the older child and adults due to the declining protection of the vaccine over time. Pertussis is highly contagious and early treatment with a macrolide antibiotic is recommended to limit the severity and prevent transmission. It can be deadly in infants, which is why prevention via immunizations is so important. The pharmacist can assist with advising individuals of the importance of vaccination