3,840 research outputs found
Effects of shear on eggs and larvae of striped bass, morone saxatilis, and white perch, M. americana
Shear stress, generated by water movement, can kill fish eggs and larvae by causing rotation or deformation. Through the use of an experimental apparatus, a series of shear
(as dynes/cm2)-mortality equations for fixed time exposures were generated for striped bass and white perch eggs and larvae. Exposure of striped bass eggs to a shear level of 350 dynes/cm2 kills 36% of the eggs in 1 min; 69% in 2 min, and 88% in 4 min; exposure of larvae to 350 dynes/cm2 kills 9.3% in 1 min, 30.0% in 2 min, and 68.1% in 4 min. A shear level of 350 dynes/cm2 kills 38% of the white perch eggs in 1 min, 41% in 2 min, 89% in 5 min, 96% in 10 min, and 98% in 20 min. A shear level of 350 dynes/cm2 applied to white perch larvae destroys 38% of the larvae in 1 min, 52% in 2 min, and 75% in 4 min. Results are experimentally used in conjunction with the determination of shear levels in the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and ship movement for the estimation of fish egg and larval mortalities in the field
Explaining Legal Concepts with Augmented Large Language Models (GPT-4)
Interpreting the meaning of legal open-textured terms is a key task of legal
professionals. An important source for this interpretation is how the term was
applied in previous court cases. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of
GPT-4 in generating factually accurate, clear and relevant explanations of
terms in legislation. We compare the performance of a baseline setup, where
GPT-4 is directly asked to explain a legal term, to an augmented approach,
where a legal information retrieval module is used to provide relevant context
to the model, in the form of sentences from case law. We found that the direct
application of GPT-4 yields explanations that appear to be of very high quality
on their surface. However, detailed analysis uncovered limitations in terms of
the factual accuracy of the explanations. Further, we found that the
augmentation leads to improved quality, and appears to eliminate the issue of
hallucination, where models invent incorrect statements. These findings open
the door to the building of systems that can autonomously retrieve relevant
sentences from case law and condense them into a useful explanation for legal
scholars, educators or practicing lawyers alike
Numerical Algebraic Geometry: A New Perspective on String and Gauge Theories
The interplay rich between algebraic geometry and string and gauge theories
has recently been immensely aided by advances in computational algebra.
However, these symbolic (Gr\"{o}bner) methods are severely limited by
algorithmic issues such as exponential space complexity and being highly
sequential. In this paper, we introduce a novel paradigm of numerical algebraic
geometry which in a plethora of situations overcomes these short-comings. Its
so-called 'embarrassing parallelizability' allows us to solve many problems and
extract physical information which elude the symbolic methods. We describe the
method and then use it to solve various problems arising from physics which
could not be otherwise solved.Comment: 36 page
A study of the existing sources of information and analysis about Irish emigrants and Irish communities abroad
This study provides background data and analysis for the Task Force report on Policy
concerning Emigrants. It brings together different sources of information and analysis
in order to provide a statistical and analytical portrait of the three constituent
populations that form the concern of the Task Force: Irish emigrants, returnees and
Irish communities abroad. It analyses a wide range of sources of information in
Ireland and each country of destination in order to provide as full a range as possible
of interpretations of the causes and circumstances of contemporary Irish emigration,
return migration and the needs and condition of Irish communities abroad
Football fans in training: the development and optimization of an intervention delivered through professional sports clubs to help men lose weight, become more active and adopt healthier eating habits
<p>Background: The prevalence of obesity in men is rising, but they are less likely than women to engage in existing weight management programmes. The potential of professional sports club settings to engage men in health promotion activities is being increasingly recognised. This paper describes the development and optimization of the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme, which aims to help overweight men (many of them football supporters) lose weight through becoming more active and adopting healthier eating habits.</p>
<p>Methods: The MRC Framework for the design and evaluation of complex interventions was used to guide programme development in two phases. In Phase 1, a multidisciplinary working group developed the pilot programme (p-FFIT) and used a scoping review to summarize previous research and identify the target population. Phase 2 involved a process evaluation of p-FFIT in 11 Scottish Premier League (SPL) clubs. Participant and coach feedback, focus group discussions and interviews explored the utility/acceptability of programme components and suggestions for changes. Programme session observations identified examples of good practice and problems/issues with delivery. Together, these findings informed redevelopment of the optimized programme (FFIT), whose components were mapped onto specific behaviour change techniques using an evidence-based taxonomy.</p>
<p>Results: p-FFIT comprised 12, weekly, gender-sensitised, group-based weight management classroom and ‘pitch-side’ physical activity sessions. These in-stadia sessions were complemented by an incremental, pedometer-based walking programme. p-FFIT was targeted at men aged 35-65 years with body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m2. Phase 2 demonstrated that participants in p-FFIT were enthusiastic about both the classroom and physical activity components, and valued the camaraderie and peer-support offered by the programme. Coaches appreciated the simplicity of the key healthy eating and physical activity messages. Suggestions for improvements that were incorporated into the optimized FFIT programme included: more varied in-stadia physical activity with football-related components; post-programme weight management support (emails and a reunion session); and additional training for coaches in SMART goal setting and the pedometer-based walking programme.</p>
<p>Conclusions: The Football Fans in Training programme is highly acceptable to participants and SPL coaches, and is appropriate for evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.</p>
The planetary system host HR\,8799: On its Bootis nature
HR\,8799 is a Bootis, Doradus star hosting a planetary
system and a debris disk with two rings. This makes this system a very
interesting target for asteroseismic studies. This work is devoted to the
determination of the internal metallicity of this star, linked with its
Bootis nature (i.e., solar surface abundances of light elements, and
subsolar surface abundances of heavy elements), taking advantage of its
Doradus pulsations. This is the most accurate way to obtain this
information, and this is the first time such a study is performed for a
planetary-system-host star. We have used the equilibrium code CESAM and the
non-adiabatic pulsational code GraCo. We have applied the Frequency Ratio
Method (FRM) and the Time Dependent Convection theory (TDC) to estimate the
mode identification, the Brunt-Va\"is\"al\"a frequency integral and the mode
instability, making the selection of the possible models. When the
non-seismological constraints (i.e its position in the HR diagram) are used,
the solar abundance models are discarded. This result contradicts one of the
main hypothesis for explaining the Bootis nature, namely the
accretion/diffusion of gas by a star with solar abundance. Therefore, according
to these results, a revision of this hypothesis is needed. The inclusion of
accurate internal chemical mixing processes seems to be necessary to explain
the peculiar abundances observed in the surface of stars with internal subsolar
metallicities. The use of the asteroseismological constraints, like those
provided by the FRM or the instability analysis, provides a very accurate
determination of the physical characteristics of HR 8799. However, a dependence
of the results on the inclination angle still remains. The determination of
this angle, more accurate multicolour photometric observations, and high
resolution spectroscopy can definitively fix the mass and metallicity of this
star.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Isolation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Intact Colon Fecal Samples of Swine1
Escherichia coli O157:H7 was recovered from colon fecal samples of pigs. Polymerase chain reaction confirmed two genotypes: isolates harboring the eaeA, stx1, and stx2 genes and isolates harboring the eaeA, stx1, and hly933 genes. We demonstrate that swine in the United States can harbor potentially pathogenic E. coli O157:H7
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