2,736 research outputs found
Examples of individual supported living for adults with intellectual disability
Background: This article provides a qualitative account of four models of support for adults with intellectual disability in individual supported living (ISL) arrangements. Materials and Methods: Completion of the first 50 evaluations of 150 arrangements for the third phase of the ISL project provided the examples. Results: Four approaches are described: living alone, co-residency, relationship and host family. Within each type, wide variations occur particularly based on security of tenure, formal and informal support and management variations. Conclusion: Fifty evaluations so far illustrated a wide range of approaches to ISL, providing evidence of the critical importance of the formal and informal support environment and reinforcing the contention that ISL is appropriate for people with high support needs
Tree species richness in northeastern China: geographical variation and minimum areas
The geographical patterns of tree species richness in forest communities have been studied widely, but little is known about the geographical variation of the estimated species richness and minimum areas using species-area curves. A differential technique based on the species-area relationships (SAR) was developed for estimating the minimum area (Amin) capturing 60- 80% of the species in each plot, which is an important characteristic of a forest community. The relationship between estimated species richness (ESR) from the SAR and the corresponding minimum area is described by the linear model ESR = 0.0051ĂAmin (R2 = 0.98, p < 0.0001). Both the ESR and the minimum area exhibit similar geographical variations with a significant increase along altitudinal and a decrease along latitudinal gradients. The spatial variations of the ESR were partitioned into three geographical components and their combined effects. Altitude accounted for 40% and 45% of the total variation in the ESR and the minimum area, respectively. While latitude accounted for 69% and 61% of the total variation in the ESR and the minimum area, respectively. Thus, latitude is the main determinant which influences the geographical variation of the ESR. As far as we know, this study presents the first report of the geographical patterns of the minimum area in temperate forests
Modelling Pinus pinea forest management to attain natural regeneration under present and future climatic scenarios
Natural regeneration-based silviculture has been increasingly regarded as a reliable option in sustainable forest
management. However, successful natural regeneration is not always easy to achieve. Recently, new concerns have arisen
because of changing future climate. To date, regeneration models have proved helpful in decision-making concerning natural regeneration. The implementation of such models into optimization routines is a promising approach in providing forest managers with accurate tools for forest planning. In the present study, we present a stochastic multistage regeneration model for Pinus pinea L. managed woodlands in Central Spain, where regeneration has been historically unsuccessful. The model is able to quantify recruitment under different silviculture alternatives and varying climatic scenarios, with further application to
optimize management scheduling. The regeneration process in the species showed high between-year variation, with all
subprocesses (seed production, dispersal, germination, predation, and seedling survival) having the potential to become bottlenecks. However, model simulations demonstrate that current intensive management is responsible for regeneration failure in the long term. Specifically, stand densities at rotation age are too low to guarantee adequate dispersal, the optimal density of seed-producing trees being around 150 stems·haâ1. In addition, rotation length needs to be extended up to 120 years to benefit
from the higher seed production of older trees. Stochastic optimization confirms these results. Regeneration does not appear to worsen under climate change conditions; the species exhibiting resilience worthy of broader consideration in Mediterranean
silviculture
Stability subtypes of callousâunemotional traits and conduct disorder symptoms and their correlates
Callous unemotional traits and conduct disorder symptoms tend to co-occur across development, with existing evidence pointing to individual differences in the co-development of these problems. The current study identified groups of at risk adolescents showing stable (i.e., high on both conduct disorder and callous-unemotional symptoms, high only on either callous-unemotional or conduct disorder symptoms) or increasing conduct disorder and callous-unemotional symptoms. Data were collected from a sample of 2038 community adolescents between 15 and 18 years (1070 females, Mage = 16) of age. A longitudinal design was followed in that adolescent reports were collected at two time points, one year apart. Increases in conduct disorder symptoms and callous-unemotional traits were accompanied by increases in anxiety, depressive symptoms, narcissism, proactive and reactive aggression and decreases in self-esteem. Furthermore, adolescents with high and stable conduct disorder symptoms and callous-unemotional traits were consistently at high risk for individual, behavioral and contextual problems. In contrast, youth high on callous-unemotional traits without conduct disorder symptoms remained at low-risk for anxiety, depressive symptoms, narcissism, and aggression, pointing to a potential protective function of pure callous-unemotional traits against the development of psychopathological problems
Do the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Autism Spectrum Quotientsahort form (AQ-S) primarily reflect general ASD traits or specific ASD traits?:A bi-factor analysis
In the current study, we fit confirmatory bi-factor models to the items of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form (AQ-S) in order to assess the extents to which the items of each reflect general versus specific factors. The models were fit in a combined sample of individuals with and without a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Results indicated that, with the exception of the Attention to Details factor in the AQ and the Numbers/Patterns factors in the AQ-S, items primarily reflected a general factor. This suggests that when attempting to estimate an association between a specific symptom measured by the AQ or AQ-S and some criterion, associations will be confounded by the general factor. To resolve this, we recommend using a bi-factor measurement model or factor scores from a bi-factor measurement whenever hypotheses about specific symptoms are being assessed
Shower development of particles with momenta from 15 GeV to 150 GeV in the CALICE scintillator-tungsten hadronic calorimeter
We present a study of showers initiated by electrons, pions, kaons, and
protons with momenta from 15 GeV to 150 GeV in the highly granular CALICE
scintillator-tungsten analogue hadronic calorimeter. The data were recorded at
the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron in 2011. The analysis includes measurements
of the calorimeter response to each particle type as well as measurements of
the energy resolution and studies of the longitudinal and radial shower
development for selected particles. The results are compared to Geant4
simulations (version 9.6.p02). In the study of the energy resolution we include
previously published data with beam momenta from 1 GeV to 10 GeV recorded at
the CERN Proton Synchrotron in 2010.Comment: 35 pages, 21 figures, 8 table
Performance of the first prototype of the CALICE scintillator strip electromagnetic calorimeter
A first prototype of a scintillator strip-based electromagnetic calorimeter
was built, consisting of 26 layers of tungsten absorber plates interleaved with
planes of 45x10x3 mm3 plastic scintillator strips. Data were collected using a
positron test beam at DESY with momenta between 1 and 6 GeV/c. The prototype's
performance is presented in terms of the linearity and resolution of the energy
measurement. These results represent an important milestone in the development
of highly granular calorimeters using scintillator strip technology. This
technology is being developed for a future linear collider experiment, aiming
at the precise measurement of jet energies using particle flow techniques
Hadron shower decomposition in the highly granular CALICE analogue hadron calorimeter
The spatial development of hadronic showers in the CALICE scintillator-steel
analogue hadron calorimeter is studied using test beam data collected at CERN
and FNAL for single positive pions and protons with initial momenta in the
range from 10 to 80 GeV/c. Both longitudinal and radial development of hadron
showers are parametrised with two-component functions. The parametrisation is
fit to test beam data and simulations using the QGSP_BERT and FTFP_BERT physics
lists from Geant4 version 9.6. The parameters extracted from data and simulated
samples are compared for the two types of hadrons. The response to pions and
the ratio of the non-electromagnetic to the electromagnetic calorimeter
response, h/e, are estimated using the extrapolation and decomposition of the
longitudinal profiles.Comment: 38 pages, 19 figures, 5 tables; author list changed; submitted to
JINS
Pion and proton showers in the CALICE scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter
Showers produced by positive hadrons in the highly granular CALICE
scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter were studied. The experimental
data were collected at CERN and FNAL for single particles with initial momenta
from 10 to 80 GeV/c. The calorimeter response and resolution and spatial
characteristics of shower development for proton- and pion-induced showers for
test beam data and simulations using Geant4 version 9.6 are compared.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, JINST style, changes in the author list, typos
corrected, new section added, figures regrouped. Accepted for publication in
JINS
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