Unveiling the prehistoric landscape at Stonehenge through multi-receiver EMI

YesArchaeological research at Stonehenge (UK) is increasingly aimed at understanding the dynamic of the wider archaeological landscape. Through the application of state-of-the-art geophysical techniques, unprecedented insight is being gathered into the buried archaeological features of the area. However, applied survey techniques have rarely targeted natural soil variation, and the detailed knowledge of the palaeotopography is consequently less complete. In addition, metallic topsoil debris, scattered over different parts of the Stonehenge landscape, often impacts the interpretation of geophysical datasets. The research presented here demonstrates how a single multi-receiver electromagnetic induction (EMI) survey, conducted over a 22 ha area within the Stonehenge landscape, offers detailed insight into natural and anthropogenic soil variation at Stonehenge. The soil variations that were detected through recording the electrical and magnetic soil variability, shed light on the genesis of the landscape, and allow for a better definition of potential palaeoenvironmental and archaeological sampling locations. Based on the multi-layered dataset, a procedure was developed to remove the influence of topsoil metal from the survey data, which enabled a more straightforward identification of the detected archaeology. The results provide a robust basis for further geoarchaeological research, while potential to differentiate between modern soil disturbances and the underlying sub-surface variations can help in solving conservation and management issues. Through expanding this approach over the wider area, we aim at a fuller understanding of the human–landscape interactions that have shaped the Stonehenge landscape

Measurement of cone dark adaptation: a comparison of four psychophysical methods

Purpose: Dark adaptometry is an important clinical tool for the diagnosis of a range of conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In order to identify the most robust, clinically applicable technique for the measurement of cone dark adaptation, the repeatability and agreement of four psychophysical methods were assessed. Methods: Data were obtained from 31 healthy adults on two occasions, using four psychophysical methods. Participants’ pupils were dilated and 96% of cone photopigment was bleached before threshold was monitored in the dark using one of the techniques, selected at random. This procedure was repeated for each of the remaining methods. An exponential recovery function was fitted to all threshold recovery data. The co-efficient of repeatability (CoR) was calculated to assess the repeatability of the methods and a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare mean recovery parameters. Results: All four methods demonstrated a similar level of inter-session repeatability for measurement of cone recovery, yielding CoRs between 1.18 and 1.56 minutes. There were no statistically significant differences in estimates of mean time constant of cone recovery (cone τ) between the four methods (p = 0.488), however significant differences initial and final cone thresholds were reported (p < 0.005). Conclusions: All of the techniques were capable of monitoring the rapid changes in visual threshold that occur during cone dark adaptation and the repeatability of the techniques was similar. This indicates that, despite the respective advantages and disadvantages of these psychophysical techniques, all four methods would be suitable for measuring cone dark adaptation in clinical practice

The effect of pre-adapting light intensity on dark adaptation in early age-related macular degeneration

Background This study aimed to identify the pre-adapting light intensity that generated the maximum separation in the parameters of dark adaptation between participants with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and healthy control participants in the minimum recording time. Methods Cone dark adaptation was monitored in 10 participants with early AMD and 10 age-matched controls after exposure to three pre-adapting light intensities, using an achromatic annulus (12° radius) centred on the fovea. Threshold recovery data were modelled, and the time constant of cone recovery (τ), final cone threshold, and time to rod-cone-break (RCB) were determined. The diagnostic potential of these parameters at all pre-adapting intensities was evaluated by constructing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results There were significant differences between those with early AMD and healthy controls in cone τ and time to RCB (p < 0.05) at all pre-adapting ‘bleaching’ intensities. ROC curves showed that the diagnostic potential of dark adaptometry was high following exposure to all three pre-adapting intensities, generating an area under the curve in excess of 0.87 ± 0.08 for cone τ and time to RCB for all conditions. Conclusions Dark adaptation was shown to be highly diagnostic for early AMD across a range of pre-adapting light intensities, and therefore, the lower pre-adapting intensities evaluated in this study may be used to expedite dark adaptation measurement in the clinic without compromising the integrity of the data obtained. This study reinforces the suggestion that cone and rod dark adaptation are good candidate biomarkers for early AMD

Functional Imaging of the Outer Retinal Complex using High Fidelity Imaging Retinal Densitometry

We describe a new technique, high fidelity Imaging Retinal Densitometry (IRD), which probes the functional integrity of the outer retinal complex. We demonstrate the ability of the technique to map visual pigment optical density and synthesis rates in eyes with and without macular disease. A multispectral retinal imaging device obtained precise measurements of retinal reflectance over space and time. Data obtained from healthy controls and 5 patients with intermediate AMD, before and after photopigment bleaching, were used to quantify visual pigment metrics. Heat maps were plotted to summarise the topography of rod and cone pigment kinetics and descriptive statistics conducted to highlight differences between those with and without AMD. Rod and cone visual pigment synthesis rates in those with AMD (v = 0.043 SD 0.019 min-1 and v = 0.119 SD 0.046 min-1, respectively) were approximately half those observed in healthy controls (v = 0.079 SD 0.024 min-1 for rods and v = 0.206 SD 0.069 min-1 for cones). By mapping visual pigment kinetics across the central retina, high fidelity IRD provides a unique insight into outer retinal complex function. This new technique will improve the phenotypic characterisation, diagnosis and treatment monitoring of various ocular pathologies, including AMD

How effective is eccentric viewing training? A systematic literature review

Purpose: The global prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and associated central vision loss (CVL) is rising. CVL hinders the performance of many activities of daily living (ADLs). Adaptive strategies such as eccentric viewing (EV) and steady eye strategy (SES) may be used to compensate for CVL. In order to establish the potential of these rehabilitation strategies, this systematic review evaluates current literature regarding the effectiveness of EV and SES training in people with CVL. Recent Findings: The search strategies identified 2605 publications, 36 of which met the inclusion criteria for the review, but only three of which were randomised controlled trials. This literature shows that EV and SES training can improve near visual acuity, reading speed, and performance of ADLs in people with CVL. However, there was insufficient literature to establish a relationship between training and distance visual acuity or quality-of-life. There is no conclusive evidence to show that a particular model of EV training is superior to another, little clear evidence of a relationship between participant characteristics and training outcomes and no data regarding the cost effectiveness of training. Summary: This report highlights the need for further robust research to establish the true potential and cost effectiveness of EV and SES training as a rehabilitation strategy for individuals with CVL

Sobolev Inequalities for Differential Forms and Lq,pL_{q,p}-cohomology

We study the relation between Sobolev inequalities for differential forms on a Riemannian manifold $(M,g)$ and the $L_{q,p}$-cohomology of that manifold. The $L_{q,p}$-cohomology of $(M,g)$ is defined to be the quotient of the space of closed differential forms in $L^p(M)$ modulo the exact forms which are exterior differentials of forms in $L^q(M)$.Comment: This paper has appeared in the Journal of Geometric Analysis, (only minor changes have been made since verion 1

Laplaciens de graphes infinis I Graphes m\'etriquement complets

We introduce the weighted graph Laplacian and the notion of Schr\"odinger operator on a locally finite weighted graph . Concerning essential self-adjointness, we extend Wojciechowski's and Dodziuk's results for graphs with vertex constant weight. The main result in this work states that on any metrically complete weighted graph with bounded degree, the Laplacian is essentially self-adjoint and the same holds for the Schr\"odinger operator provided the associated quadratic form is bounded from below. We construct for the proof a strictly positive and harmonic function which allows us to write any Schr\"odinger operator as a weighted graph Laplacian modulo a unitary transform

Practice transformations to optimize the delivery of HIV primary care in community healthcare settings in the United States: A program implementation study.

BackgroundThe United States HIV care workforce is shrinking, which could complicate service delivery to people living with HIV (PLWH). In this study, we examined the impact of practice transformations, defined as efficiencies in structures and delivery of care, on demonstration project sites within the Workforce Capacity Building Initiative, a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS).Methods and findingsData were collected at 14 demonstration project sites in 7 states and the District of Columbia. Organizational assessments were completed at sites once before and 4 times after implementation. They captured 3 transformation approaches: maximizing the HIV care workforce (efforts to increase the number of existing healthcare workforce members involved in the care of PLWH), share-the-care (team-based care giving more responsibility to midlevel providers and staff), and enhancing client engagement in primary HIV care to reduce emergency and inpatient care (e.g., care coordination). We also obtained Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Services Reports (RSRs) from sites for calendar years (CYs) 2014-2016, corresponding to before, during, and after transformation. The RSR include data on client retention in HIV care, prescription of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and viral suppression. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to analyze changes among sites implementing each practice transformation approach. The demonstration projects had a mean of 18.5 prescribing providers (SD = 23.5). They reported data on more than 13,500 clients per year (mean = 969/site, SD = 1,351). Demographic characteristics remained similar over time. In 2014, a majority of clients were male (71% versus 28% female and 0.2% transgender), with a mean age of 47 (interquartile range [IQR] 37-54). Racial/ethnic characteristics (48% African American, 31% Hispanic/Latino, 14% white) and HIV risk varied (31% men who have sex with men; 31% heterosexual men and women; 7% injection drug use). A substantial minority was on Medicaid (41%). Across sites, there was significant uptake in practices consistent with maximizing the HIV care workforce (18% increase, p &lt; 0.001), share-the-care (25% increase, p &lt; 0.001), and facilitating patient engagement in HIV primary care (13% increase, p &lt; 0.001). There were also significant improvements over time in retention in HIV care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.04; p &lt; 0.001), ART prescription levels (aOR = 1.01; 95% CI 1.00-1.01; p &lt; 0.001), and viral suppression (aOR = 1.03; 95% CI 1.02-1.04; p &lt; 0.001). All outcomes improved at sites that implemented transformations to maximize the HIV care workforce or improve client engagement. At sites that implemented share-the-care practices, only retention in care and viral suppression outcomes improved. Study limitations included use of demonstration project sites funded by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), which tend to have better HIV outcomes than other US clinics; varying practice transformation designs; lack of a true control condition; and a potential Hawthorne effect because site teams were aware of the evaluation.ConclusionsIn this study, we found that practice transformations are a potential strategy for addressing anticipated workforce challenges among those providing care to PLWH. They hold the promise of optimizing the use of personnel and ensuring the delivery of care to all in need while potentially enhancing HIV care continuum outcomes

Identification and distribution of leatherjackets (Tipula spp.) in the Republic of Ireland

peer-reviewedThe soil-dwelling larval stage of crane flies, commonly known as leatherjackets, are classified as agricultural pests in Europe, and pests of turf in North America and Canada. They cause significant damage and yield loss in many cropping systems through their feeding on plant roots and stems at ground level. The effective chemical control for these pests, chlorpyrifos (available since 1965), was prohibited across Europe in 2019. This has left severely restricted control options for growers. Unlike Northern Ireland and Great Britain, no leatherjacket surveys or routine identifications have been conducted across Ireland. Therefore, the leatherjacket species of agronomic importance has not been confirmed. Since lifecycles, feeding behaviour and damage periods differ between species, identifying the most common species is a vital first step in any pest management strategy. Here we report key findings from a 2-yr structured survey of Irish crops, conducted in 2019 and 2021, where 135 sites were sampled. Both grassland and cereal crops were inspected. Soil cores and soil samples were collected and larval abundance determined. The European crane fly, Tipula paludosa Meigen, accounted for approximately 70% of larvae collected and identified (n = 337). In 2019, 40% of grasslands exceeded the threshold of 1 million larvae/ha, while only 3.3% of cereal fields were over the threshold of 600,000 larvae/ha. These results indicate that agricultural grasslands in Ireland have the potential to be significantly impacted by leatherjacket damage, although this may vary temporally and geographically across the island. Without effective control options, yield losses will be highly probable