3,915 research outputs found
Avalanche Size Scaling in Sheared Three-Dimensional Amorphous Solid
We have studied the statistics of plastic rearrangement events in a simulated
amorphous solid at T=0. Events are characterized by the energy release and the
``slip volume'', the product of plastic strain and system volume. Their
distributions for a given system size appear to be exponential, but a
characteristic event size cannot be inferred, because the mean values of these
quantities increase as with . In contrast to
results obtained in 2D models, we do not see simply connected avalanches. The
exponent suggests a fractal shape of the avalanches, which is also evidenced by
the mean fractal dimension and participation ratio.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Quantification of the Individual Characteristics of the Human Dentition
The considerations for admissibility suggested by the Daubert trilogy challenge forensic experts to provide scientific support for opinion testimony. The defense bar has questioned the reliability of bitemark analysis. Under an award from the U. S. Department of Justice, via the Midwest Forensic Resource Center, a two-year feasibility study was undertaken to quantify six dental characteristics. Using two computer programs, the exemplars of 419 volunteers were digitally scanned, characteristics were measured, and frequency was calculated. The study demonstrates that there were outliers or rare dental characteristics in measurements. An analysis of the intra-observer and inter-observer consistency demonstrated a high degree of agreement. Expansion of the sample size through collaboration with other academic researchers will be necessary to be able to quantify the occurrence of these characteristics in the general population. The automated software application, Tom\u27s Toolbox, developed specifically for this research project, could also provide a template for precisely quantifying other pattern evidence
Palliative care and Parkinson's disease : meeting summary and recommendations for clinical research
Introduction: Palliative care is an approach to caring for patients and families affected by serious illnesses that focuses on the relief of suffering through the management of medical symptoms, psychosocial issues, advance care planning and spiritual wellbeing. Over the past decade there has been an emerging clinical and research interest in the application of palliative care approaches to Parkinson’s disease (PD) and outpatient palliative care services are now offered by several movement disorders centers. Methods: An International Working Group Meeting on PD and Palliative Care supported by the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation was held in October 2015 to review the current state of the evidence and to make recommendations for clinical research and practice. Results: Topics included: 1) Defining palliative care for PD; 2) Lessons from palliative care for heart failure and other chronic illnesses; 3) Patient and caregiver Needs; 4) Needs assessment tools; 5) Intervention strategies; 6) Predicting prognosis and hospice referrals; 7) Choice of appropriate outcome measures; 8) Implementation, dissemination and education research; and 9) Need for research collaborations. We provide an overview of these discussions, summarize current evidence and practices, highlight gaps in our knowledge and make recommendations for future research. Conclusions: Palliative Care for PD is a rapidly growing area which holds great promise for improving outcomes for PD patients and their caregivers. While clinical research in this area can build from lessons learned in other diseases, there is a need for observational, methodological and interventional research to address the unique needs of PD patients and caregivers
Addressing School Related Gender Based Violence in Zambia: A Scoping Study
This report presents findings from a scoping study of policy, practice and evidence on school-related
gender-based violence (SRGBV) in Zambia, which was carried out in 2016. The main objective of the
study was to analyse responses to gender-based violence in and around schools in Zambia, in order to
inform future planning of policy and practice initiatives. The study was a collaboration between the
government of Zambia, UNICEF, and researchers at the UCL Institute of Education working alongside
consultant, Romana Maumbu. Its core elements consist of: analysis of legislation and policy; analysis
of programming on SRGBV; mapping of stakeholders working on SRGBV; and the identification and
evaluation of research and data sets. The findings presented here will be used to guide decision
making for phase two of the initiative which will take place during 2017, as well as longer term
planning and action on SRGBV in Zambia. The findings will provide the basis for reflection and the
development of the action plan for the next phase of the EGVS initiative
Adaptive carbon export response to warming in the Sargasso Sea
Ocean ecosystem models predict that warming and increased surface ocean stratification will trigger a series of ecosystem events, reducing the biological export of particulate carbon to the ocean interior. We present a nearly three-decade time series from the open ocean that documents a biological response to ocean warming and nutrient reductions wherein particulate carbon export is maintained, counter to expectations. Carbon export is maintained through a combination of phytoplankton community change to favor cyanobacteria with highcellular carbon-to-phosphorus ratios and enhanced shallow phosphorus recycling leading to increased nutrient use efficiency. These results suggest that surface ocean ecosystems may be more responsive and adapt more rapidly to changes in the hydrographic system than is currently envisioned in earth ecosystem models, with positive consequences for ocean carbon uptake
The Amateur Sky Survey Mark III Project
The Amateur Sky Survey (TASS) is a loose confederation of amateur and
professional astronomers. We describe the design and construction of our Mark
III system, a set of wide-field drift-scan CCD cameras which monitor the
celestial equator down to thirteenth magnitude in several passbands. We explain
the methods by which images are gathered, processed, and reduced into lists of
stellar positions and magnitudes. Over the period October, 1996, to November,
1998, we compiled a large database of photometric measurements. One of our
results is the "tenxcat" catalog, which contains measurements on the standard
Johnson-Cousins system for 367,241 stars; it contains links to the light curves
of these stars as well.Comment: 20 pages, including 4 figures; additional JPEG files for Figures 1,
2. Submitted to PAS
Can 4-H Involvement Have a Positive Impact on 4-H Youth’s Bullying Beliefs and Behaviors?
Bullying has negative emotional and physical effects on youth which often continues into adulthood. Bullying can contribute to emotional distress which is often more difficult to detect in victims. Documented effects of bullying include depression, anxiety, bitterness, elevated levels of stress, as well as negative feelings of self-image and low self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that involvement in the state 4-H program has on bullying beliefs and behaviors. This study found that 94% of the participants (senior high students) agreed that 4-H helped them to shape their belief towards bullying; 84% either agreed or strongly agreed that 4-H has helped them be more confident around strangers; and 93% indicated that 4-H helped them to gain confidence in situations so they could speak up for themselves
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