4,698 research outputs found
Identification Of Environmental Variables For Use In Monitoring For The Evaluation Of The Rural Environment Protection Scheme
Teagasc wishes to acknowledge the support of the Environmental RTDI Programme 2000–2006 in financing this research project.End of project reportThe aim of this study was to identify and select quantitative environmental attributes for a monitoring programme that may be integrated into an environmental evaluation of Ireland’s agri-environmental scheme. This was achieved primarily by reviewing a range of agri-environmental indicators and suggesting indicators that would be appropriate for monitoring the REPS. The study conducted a desk review to collate information on current best practice in monitoring for environmental quality. A Project Group (comprising representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], Department of Agriculture and Food [DAF], Teagasc, and the project supervisors) advised on the ongoing development of the project. There was a consultation process with national experts, and with a selection of stakeholder organisations with an interest in monitoring the environmental impact of the REPS.Environmental Protection Agenc
Disk M Dwarf Luminosity Function From HST Star Counts
We study a sample of 257 Galactic disk M dwarfs (8<M_V<18.5) found in images
obtained using HST. These include 192 stars in 22 fields imaged with the
repaired WFC2 with mean limiting mag I=23.7 and 65 stars in 162 fields imaged
with the pre-repair Planetary Camera with mean limiting mag V=21.3. We find
that the disk luminosity function (LF) drops sharply for M_V>12 (M<0.25 \ms),
decreasing by a factor \gsim 3 by M_V~14 (M~0.14\ms). This decrease in the LF
is in good agreement with the ground-based photometric study of nearby stars by
Stobie et al. (1989), and in mild conflict with the most recent LF measurements
based on local parallax stars by Reid et al. (1995). The local LF of the faint
Galactic disk stars can be transformed into a local mass function using an
empirical mass-M_V relation. The mass function can be represented analytically
over the mass range 0.1\ms<M<1.6\ms by \log(\phi)=-1.35-1.34\log(M/\ms)-1.85
[\log(M/\ms)]^2 where \phi is the number density per logarithmic unit of mass.
The total column density of M stars is only \Sigma_M=11.8\pm 1.8\ms\pc^{-2},
implying a total `observed' disk column density of \Sigma_\obs~=39\ms\pc^{-2},
lower than previously believed, and also lower than all estimates with which we
are familiar of the dynamically inferred mass of the disk. The measured scale
length for the M-star disk is 3.0\pm 0.4 kpc. The optical depth to microlensing
toward the LMC by the observed stars in the Milky Way disk is \tau~1x10^{-8},
compared to the observed optical depth found in ongoing experiments \tau_\obs~
10^{-7}. The M-stars show evidence for a population with characteristics
intermediate between thin disk and spheroid populations. Approximating what may
be a continuum of populations by two separate component, we find characteristic
exponential scale heights of ~210 pc and ~740 pc.Comment: 30 pages, uuencoded postscript, includes 3 figures, 2 table
3D Bounding Box Estimation Using Deep Learning and Geometry
We present a method for 3D object detection and pose estimation from a single
image. In contrast to current techniques that only regress the 3D orientation
of an object, our method first regresses relatively stable 3D object properties
using a deep convolutional neural network and then combines these estimates
with geometric constraints provided by a 2D object bounding box to produce a
complete 3D bounding box. The first network output estimates the 3D object
orientation using a novel hybrid discrete-continuous loss, which significantly
outperforms the L2 loss. The second output regresses the 3D object dimensions,
which have relatively little variance compared to alternatives and can often be
predicted for many object types. These estimates, combined with the geometric
constraints on translation imposed by the 2D bounding box, enable us to recover
a stable and accurate 3D object pose. We evaluate our method on the challenging
KITTI object detection benchmark both on the official metric of 3D orientation
estimation and also on the accuracy of the obtained 3D bounding boxes. Although
conceptually simple, our method outperforms more complex and computationally
expensive approaches that leverage semantic segmentation, instance level
segmentation and flat ground priors and sub-category detection. Our
discrete-continuous loss also produces state of the art results for 3D
viewpoint estimation on the Pascal 3D+ dataset.Comment: To appear in IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern
Recognition (CVPR) 201
Effect of a quality improvement programme on leadership, innovation and use of quality improvement methods in general practice
Introduction
Market mechanisms and pay-for-performance have failed to deliver continuing improvements in UK clinical care. Leadership and innovation are currently seen as essential to maintain and improve clinical quality but little is known about the relationship between these and the extent to which quality improvement (QI) methods are used in general practice. This study aimed to investigate the effect of quality improvement training on leadership behaviour, culture of innovation and adoption of QI methods in general practice.
Method
Self-administered postal questionnaires were sent to general practitioner quality leads in one UK county at the beginning (2007) and the end (2010) of a QI programme. The questionnaire consisted of background demographic information, a 12-item scale to assess leadership behaviour, a seven-dimension self-rating scale for innovation culture and questions on current use of quality improvement techniques and the effect of this on practice. We analysed change between the two surveys and the effect of participation in QI training.
Results
Sixty-three completed questionnaires (62%) were returned in 2007 and 47 (46%) in 2010; 32 practices completed both surveys. Although leadership behaviours were not commonly expressed, many practices reported a positive culture of innovation with significant positive correlation between leadership and innovation (r = 0.57; P < 0.001); apart from clinical audit and significant event analysis, QI methods were not reported as having been adopted by most participating practices. Percentage leadership score changed little over three years (increase 4.0 points, 95%CI -8.9 to 16.9) with little difference between participating and non-participating practices (7.6, -6.4 to 21.6) and no evidence of differential change (-1.5, -17.0 to 14.0). Percentage innovation culture scores showed a similar pattern (time -4.1 points, -15.1 to 6.9, group -1.6, -12.7 to 9.4, differential change 5.3, -7.8 to 18.5).
Conclusions
Leadership behaviours were infrequently reported, and despite describing a culture of innovation there was low uptake of QI methods beyond clinical and significant event audit even after practices participated in a QI programme. There is evidence that practices may need greater support to enhance leadership competences and develop quality improvement skills to stimulate innovation if improvements in health care are to accelerate
GPS Coarse Acquisition Using The Monobit Fft Algorithm in a Broadband Receiver
The purpose of this research was to investigate the feasibility of using broadband electronic warfare (EW) receivers for Global Position System (GPS) tracking. These are pulse-oriented receivers, typically with input bandwidths of 1 Ghz or larger, and so by definition do not have the same characteristics and processing of continuous wave (CW) receivers like GPS devices, FM radios, etc. For example, the spectral output of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) used in broadband signal processing updates on the frequency of the FFT input sample size, versus a CW receiver which updates on a more continuous basis.
The foundation of this potential broadband application of GPS hinges on the ability to accurately detect the GPS Satellite Coarse Acquisition (C/A) Code, which is phase modulated onto the GPS L1 carrier signal. This study uses the high speed Monobit FFT approximation technique developed by Dr. A. Despain [1] and Dr. Jim Tsui as the core signal processor, of which Dr. Tsui holds patents [2,3]. The cyclical C/A Code FFT spectral bin components are processed and compared to a known good C/A code for a given satellite to determine the accuracy of the correlation.
The novel EW GPS technique developed in this thesis indicates that GPS satellite C/A codes can indeed be reasonably processed with broadband techniques, at least with the Monobit FFT, and that this foundational work can be built upon in the future so that broadband devices can ultimately be used for GPS applications. Synthesizable deliverables include a phase detector, a hardware signal condenser, and a correlation module. A robust Hardware Description Language (HDL) Test Bench, several signal generators, and various Matlab support tools were also developed
Financial Innovation and the Implications for Monetary Policy and Portfolio Hedging
The focus of this thesis will be on three main components, namely, monetary transmission mechanisms, financial innovation and portfolio hedging. It will first discuss the different channels of monetary policy and how they affect economic and financial variables. Then, financial innovation will be analyzed from the perspective of Hyman P. Minsky and the effects on the financial system. Next, the relation of regulation to the changing financial landscape of the economy will be discussed. Finally, the use of financial derivatives will be reviewed, presenting their hedging function and speculative risks. Then, the impact of too big to fail banks and their inability to effectively hedge systemic risk will be discussed. A peculiar example, known as the JPMorgan London Whale Scandal, will illustrate the influence of too big to fail banks on their hedging activities and the repercussions for policy and future reform. Then, the difficulties these banks face in performing a macro hedge will be examined. Ultimately, financial innovation and too big to fail banks impede the influence of monetary policy
Celecoxib decreases prostaglandin E\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e concentrations in nipple aspirate fluid from high risk postmenopausal women and women with breast cancer
Background
Celecoxib inhibits PGE2 production in cancerous tissue. We previously reported that PGE2 levels in nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) and plasma were not decreased in women at increased breast cancer risk who received celecoxib 200 mg twice daily (bid). The endpoints of the current study were to determine if a short course of celecoxib 400 mg bid would decrease PGE2 levels in women 1) at increased breast cancer risk, and 2) with established breast cancer.
Methods
NAF and plasma samples were collected before, 2 weeks after taking celecoxib 400 mg bid, and two weeks after washout from 26 women who were at increased breast cancer risk. From 13 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, NAF from the incident breast and plasma were collected before and on average 2 weeks after taking celecoxib. Additionally, in nine of the 13 women with breast cancer, NAF was collected from the contralateral breast.
Results
No consistent change in NAF or plasma PGE2 levels was noted in high risk premenopausal women. NAF PGE2 levels decreased after celecoxib administration in postmenopausal high risk women (p = 0.02), and in both the NAF (p = 0.02) and plasma (p = 0.03) of women with breast cancer.
Conclusion
Celecoxib 400 mg bid taken on average for 2 weeks significantly decreased NAF, but not plasma, PGE2 levels in postmenopausal high risk women, and decreased both NAF and plasma PGE2 levels in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. PGE2 levels may predict celecoxib breast cancer prevention and treatment efficacy. Our observations are preliminary, and larger studies to confirm and extend these findings are warranted
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