Diffusion and Home Range Parameters for Rodents: Peromyscus maniculatus in New Mexico

We analyze data from a long term field project in New Mexico, consisting of repeated sessions of mark-recaptures of Peromyscus maniculatus (Rodentia: Muridae), the host and reservoir of Sin Nombre Virus (Bunyaviridae: Hantavirus). The displacements of the recaptured animals provide a means to study their movement from a statistical point of view. We extract two parameters from the data with the help of a simple model: the diffusion constant of the rodents, and the size of their home range. The short time behavior shows the motion to be approximately diffusive and the diffusion constant to be 470+/-50m^2/day. The long time behavior provides an estimation of the diameter of the rodent home ranges, with an average value of 100+/-25m. As in previous investigations directed at Zygodontomys brevicauda observations in Panama, we use a box model for home range estimation. We also use a harmonic model in the present investigation to study the sensitivity of the conclusions to the model used and find that both models lead to similar estimates.Comment: The published paper in Ecol. Complexity has an old version of Figure 6. Here we have put the correct version of Figure

Demographic variation in nutrition knowledge in England

This paper describes a nutrition knowledge survey carried out on a cross-section of the adult population of England (n = 1040), looking at knowledge relating to current dietary recommendations, sources of nutrients, healthy food choices and diet-disease links. Serious gaps in knowledge about even the basic recommendations were discovered, and there was much confusion over the relationship between diet and disease. Significant differences in knowledge between socio-demographic groups were found, with men having poorer knowledge than women, and knowledge declining with lower educational level and socio-economic status. Possible reasons for these differences and implications for public education campaigns and socio-economic inequalities in health are discussed

Error analysis for station position from tracking of the Lageos satellite

The earth physics satellite systems error analysis program was applied to the problem of predicting the relative accuracy of station position determinations under varying orbital and observing geometries. The reference case consists of nine ground stations extending over 1500 km which lasers ranged to a LAGEOS satellite, with simultaneous Doppler tracking from a geosynchronous satellite for 16 days. Eleven variations from the reference case were tested. The results showed little sensitivity to whether the LAGEOS altitude is 3700 or 5690 km. More significant were the high inclination, and that LAGEOS was tracked by a geosynchronous satellite

Promoting Training and Employment Opportunities for People with Intellectual Disabilities: International Experience

The rights of people with disabilities have been given new attention with the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in May 2008. The provisions of the CRPD contribute to other international standards concerning persons with disabilities, signalling a dramatic shift in international policy terms. In relation to training and employment, for example, states are called on to provide opportunities for disabled people alongside non-disabled people. Many countries have already declared their commitment to the goal of inclusion of persons with disabilities through ratification of the CRPD, while others have signed it with a view to ratification. Many have also ratified ILO conventions, committing themselves to the goals of equal opportunity and non-discrimination. People with intellectual disabilities are entitled to benefit from the provisions of the CRPD and ILO Convention concerning the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), 1983 (No. 159), as well as people with other kinds of disabilities. Yet, they are frequently not well placed to gain from this changed emphasis on inclusion. In many developing countries, in particular, they are often excluded from school and deprived of opportunities to acquire relevant vocational skills at all, presenting further disadvantages when it comes to seeking jobs. Yet, experience in many countries shows that, with the right training, support in the workplace as required, and the right opportunities, they can make valued contributions in the workplace and to a country’s economy. Measures to open employment opportunities for this group of persons with disabilities in line with the CRPD and ILO Convention No. 159 can build on extensive experience in recent decades in developing new approaches to training and employment. The review of international experience carried out for this working paper highlights good practice in supporting people with intellectual disabilities in integrated employment settings. Evidence clearly points to better outcomes for employees with intellectual disabilities, when they work in integrated settings, with appropriate supports. The aims of this paper are to: examine changes over time in the understanding of intellectual disability and the capacity of persons with disabilities to learn; provide an international overview of employment options for people with intellectual disabilities, with special emphasis on Supported Employment (SE) models; examine and critically analyse from a research perspective examples of SE across a range of low- and high-income countries; and make recommendations for the expansion and future development of inclusive employment options for this population. Section 1 provides a brief overview of the shift from classifying people with intellectual disabilities on the basis of IQ bands to a support needs 2 framework. It then explores the impact of research initiatives that demonstrated the learning capacity of people with intellectual disabilities in a work environment. Section 2 discusses the range of employment models currently accessed by people with intellectual disabilities in countries around the world. It highlights that, despite the emergence of a number of more inclusive practices, the predominant model continues to be sheltered employment in segregated settings, and that a high proportion of people with disabilities are unemployed. Section 3 reviews recent and emerging developments in promoting training and employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, drawing from examples in both high- and low-income countries, with reference to factors facilitating and posing challenges to the spread of supported employment. The findings of research on these developments are summarized. Section 4 examines the policy implications of research findings and draws some conclusions about the way forward. The Working Paper has been informed by the report of the ILO/Irish Aid sub-regional conference People with Intellectual Disabilities – Opening Pathways to Training and Employment, held in Lusaka, Zambia 9-11 March 2010 (ILO, 2010a), and the accompanying Lusaka Declaration People with Intellectual Disabilities: Achieving Full Participation in Training and Employment (ILO, 2010b). The views of several individuals with intellectual disabilities on what work means to them are presented in different parts of the report, so that their voices are reflected, in line with the self-advocacy movement which is gaining momentum

The Effects of Drought on the Abundance of the Blue Crab, \u3ci\u3eCallinectes sapidus\u3c/i\u3e, in the ACE Basin NERR in South Carolina

Blue crabs make up one of the most important commercial fisheries in the U.S. but there has been some concern over the health of blue crab populations due to large declines in landings seen in recent years. There is a significant positive correlation between river discharge and commercial landings suggesting that drought may be to blame for the recent decline in crab numbers. The work I completed for my dissertation tested multiple hypotheses examining the link between decreasing freshwater discharge, the subsequent rise in salinity, and the abundance of blue crabs in the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve. To address these hypotheses, a combination of laboratory studies, field observations, and field manipulations were performed over a four year time period from June 2008 through March 2012. Water quality, crab health, fishing effort, and Hematodinium sp. infection rates were measured quarterly at 27 stations. Field experiments were performed to estimate both blue crab post-larval abundance and survival. River discharge varied both seasonally and annually causing shifts in the salinity profiles of each river. Increasing salinity increased crab survival, but also increased infection by Hematodinium sp, a lethal dinoflagellate parasite. Post-larval abundance was not related to changes in salinity. Over the four years, crab abundances increased in the river with the highest freshwater input and decreased in the river with the lowest freshwater input. These results suggest that drought can have both positive and negative consequences for crab abundance and that further reductions in freshwater discharge would likely have a net negative impact on future crab landings

STAT 362 Statistics for Management II

Course syllabus for STAT 362A Statistics for Management II Course description: A continuation of STAT 361. Topics covered include analysis of variance, regression, correlation, time series, indexing, nonparametric statistics, bivariate distributions, and chi-square tests. Students make extensive use of the computer in the analysis of data and application of statistical tests as they apply in business situations

Nilpotence of Subnormal Subgroups in U(ZG)

Nilpotence of Subnormal Subgroups in U(ZG

MIS 301 Introduction to Management Information Systems

Course syllabus for MIS 301A Introduction to Management Information Systems Course description: This course provides an introduction to the use of computers in a business environment. It contains two distinct components, a lecture/textbook component and a laboratory component. The conceptual aspects of MIS will be covered in a standard lecture format, making full use of the textbook. Topics covered will include basic computer hardware, software development, systems design and decision making. The laboratory portion of the course will provide students with hands on computer experience in some of the more popular applications packages. Emphasis in this course will be on the work processing package WordPerfect and the electronic spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3. Students will also learn basic computer programming techniques using the programming language BASIC