Watermelon Party

Non-fiction by Martha Katzenberger

Automatic map-based FTTx access network design

Several mature and standardized optical access network technologies are available for network operators providing broadband services, being now in deployment phase; therefore cost estimation, business analysis, efficient deployment strategies, network and topology design issues for FTTx access networks play an increasingly important role regarding profitability and market success. In a competitive environment, techno-economic evaluation supports the optimal choice among available technologies. Even the tradeoff between future proof technical superiority and short term investment minimization requires a farseeing decision. In our point of view, cost estimation and techno-economic evaluation is strongly related to strategic network design: among others the uneven population density, irregular street system or infrastructure have significant impact on the network topology, thus the deployment costs as well. In order to deal with these aspects, a high-level, strategic network design is necessary that adapts to geospatial characteristics of the services area, providing accurate and detailed network information for the techno-economic evaluation [1]. We have developed a topology designer methodology that supprts the above requirements, providing (near) optimal topology of the fully or partially optical access network, based on the geospatial information about the service area: digital maps, existing infrastructure and subscriber database. Automatic topology design for large-scale service areas, with 10.000s of subsribers is a highly complex mathematical problem. The tough algorithms for a near optimal, yet efficient solution. The developed algorithms were evaluated regarding their speed and accuracy. Based on topology design results, a detailed and flexible techno-economic comparison is carried out, since the framework handles various broadband access network technologies, as presented in a case study. --Topology design,Strategic Design,Network planning,GIS,Map,Techno-economic,Cost estimation

Hospice Families Shared Experiences With Time-of-Death Visits

The death of someone we love is a life-altering experience and may happen in a variety of settings. Hospice patients may die in their homes with their loved ones caring for them in their last moments of life. Families may receive a visit at the time of death from their hospice nurse. Few studies have been conducted looking at the lived experiences of home hospice families that have received a visit at the time of death from hospice. To better meet these families’ needs, the researcher conducted a study to explore and better understand their lived experiences. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used with Jean Watson’s human caring theory providing the theoretical framework for the study. Eight letters were mailed to eight participants who agreed to participate in a telephone interview lasting less than one hour. I developed an open-ended interview guide to assist with the interview. The participants were the patient’s primary caregivers and had lost their loved one between six and 13 months prior. Data were analyzed, and themes emerged under the headings of reason for time of death visit, meaningful tasks, and bereavement. Results showed families most desired to have someone present to handle the details and provide support. Showing respect for the person who had died was an important theme, as was the desire to have their loved one’s death verified. Recommendations include educating hospice staff on the findings and hospice clinicians developing a time of death plan of care with families based on the study findings. By establishing the time of death plan of care, the family can be aware of what the time of death visit can provide to them for support and make decisions before the moment of death

Gunnison Sage-Grouse to be Designated a Candidate for Endangered Species Protection

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it has determined that the Gunnison sage-grouse, a bird species found only in southwestern Colorado and extreme southeastern Utah, warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but that proposing the species for protection is precluded by the need to address other higher priority species. The Service has completed a comprehensive status review — known as a 12-month finding — and determined that there is sufficient scientific and commercial data to propose listing the species as threatened or endangered throughout its range. However, the Service is precluded from beginning work immediately on a listing proposal because its limited resources must be devoted to other higher priority actions. The Service will add the Gunnison sage-grouse to its list of candidate species and review its status annually. When a “warranted but precluded” finding is made for a species, the Service classifies it as a candidate for addition to the federal list of threatened and endangered species. If the Service proposes the Gunnison sage-grouse for protection under the ESA in the future, the public will have an opportunity to comment. As a candidate species, the Gunnison sage-grouse will remain a state-managed species. The Gunnison sage-grouse currently exists in seven populations, six in Colorado and one in both Colorado and Utah. These include the Gunnison Basin, San Miguel Basin, Monticello-Dove Creek, Pinon Mesa, Crawford, Cerro Summit-Cimarron-Sims Mesa, and Poncha Pass populations. The Gunnison Basin population is the largest and represents the best opportunity for long-term conservation of the species. Gunnison sage-grouse historically occurred in southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and southeastern Utah. In April 2006, the Service published a finding that listing the Gunnison sage-grouse as a threatened or endangered species was not warranted. The Service determined that the rangewide population of the Gunnison sage-grouse was stable and threats to the species were not significant to current, known populations. The Service and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) will continue to work cooperatively to further the conservation interests of the sage-grouse. Since 2006, the CDOW has worked with private landowners, who have expressed an interest in participating in voluntary conservation efforts, to implement conservation actions under a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA)

Chronic Vestibular Hypofunction Is Associated with Impaired Sleep: Results from the DizzyReg Patient Registry

Temporary or permanent vestibular hypofunction has been hypothesized to affect circadian rhythm, sleep, and thermoregulation. Chronic or long-term vestibular disorders such as unilateral vestibular hypofunction may have an even greater negative impact on sleep quality than acute vestibular problems. This study examines self-reported sleep quality, as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and its association with vestibular symptom duration in a group of patients with vestibular disorders. We used data from the cross-sectional DizzyReg patient registry of the German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders outpatient clinic. Vestibular diagnoses were ascertained based on the International Classification of Vestibular Disorders. A total of 137 patients were included (60% female, mean age 55.4 years, standard deviation, SD, 16.7). The mean PSQI total score was 6.3 (SD = 3.2), with 51% reporting overall poor sleep quality. Patients who had vertigo for two years or longer reported significantly poorer global sleep quality (63% vs. 37%, p = 0.021) and significantly more difficulties with sleep latency (79% vs. 56%, p = 0.013) and sleep efficiency (56% vs. 34%, p = 0.022). The association of poor sleep quality with a longer duration of vertigo remained significant after multivariable adjustment. Further research should investigate the interaction of vestibular disorders, sleep, and their potential mechanisms

Robust increase of Indian monsoon rainfall and its variability under future warming in CMIP6 models

The Indian summer monsoon is an integral part of the global climate system. As its seasonal rainfall plays a crucial role in India's agriculture and shapes many other aspects of life, it affects the livelihood of a fifth of the world's population. It is therefore highly relevant to assess its change under potential future climate change. Global climate models within the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) indicated a consistent increase in monsoon rainfall and its variability under global warming. Since the range of the results of CMIP5 was still large and the confidence in the models was limited due to partly poor representation of observed rainfall, the updates within the latest generation of climate models in CMIP6 are of interest. Here, we analyze 32 models of the latest CMIP6 exercise with regard to their annual mean monsoon rainfall and its variability. All of these models show a substantial increase in June-to-September (JJAS) mean rainfall under unabated climate change (SSP5-8.5) and most do also for the other three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways analyzed (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0). Moreover, the simulation ensemble indicates a linear dependence of rainfall on global mean temperature with a high agreement between the models independent of the SSP if global warming is the dominant forcing of the monsoon dynamics as it is in the 21st century; the multi-model mean for JJAS projects an increase of 0.33 mm d−1 and 5.3 % per kelvin of global warming. This is significantly higher than in the CMIP5 projections. Most models project that the increase will contribute to the precipitation especially in the Himalaya region and to the northeast of the Bay of Bengal, as well as the west coast of India. Interannual variability is found to be increasing in the higher-warming scenarios by almost all models. The CMIP6 simulations largely confirm the findings from CMIP5 models, but show an increased robustness across models with reduced uncertainties and updated magnitudes towards a stronger increase in monsoon rainfall