1,570 research outputs found
Correction to: The ‘can do, do do’ concept in COPD; quadrant interpretation, affiliation and tracking longitudinal changes
No full textFollowing publication of the original article [1], the authors identified a mistake in the author names, as both forename and initials were stated. Initially published author names: A. J. Alex van ’t Hul, E. H. Noortje Koolen, H. W. Jeroen van Hees, B. Bram van den Borst and M. A. Martijn Spruit Correct author names: Alex J. van ‘t Hul, Noortje H. Koolen, Jeroen W. van Hees, Bram van den Borst, Martijn A. Spruit. The original article has been corrected.</p
Structural changes of synthetic paulingite (Na,H-ECR-18) upon dehydration and CO2 adsorption
No full textFunding: EPSRCThe structure of dehydrated calcined ECR-18, synthetic paulingite, topology type PAU, unit cell composition Na132H28Si512Al160O1344, has been determined by Rietveld refinement against synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. Upon dehydration the symmetry of Na,H-ECR-18 changes from Im3m to I 43m, with a corresponding decrease of cubic unit cell a parameter from 34.89412(1) A to 33.3488(3) A. This occurs as the framework distorts to afford closer coordination of Na+ cations by framework O atoms in 8-ring window sites of the seven cage types present. Na+ cations in 8R sites block the access of N2 molecules to the internal pore space at 77 K but CO2 adsorption at 308 K is observed, and is postulated to occur via a 'trapdoor' mechanism. In situ PXRD during CO2 adsorption at pressures up to 10 bar show reversible broadening of diffraction peaks that is attributed to local crystallographic strain.Peer reviewe
Psammodynastes pulverulentus
No full textPsammodynastes pulverulentus (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827)— Erroneous. Common Mock Viper Singapore records. Psammodynastes pulverulentus — Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 77.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 215.— de Lang, 2017: 304. Remarks. Iskandar & Colijn (2001) listed Singapore as part of the distribution for P. pulverulentus, but we are unsure where they acquired the record from since there are no publications reporting it from Singapore. Chan-ard et al. (2015) likely confused P. pulverulentus with P. pictus by following Iskandar & Colijn (2001). However, Iskandar & Colijn (2001) listed both species as occurring in Singapore in their checklist. Psammodynastes pulverulentus covers a broad geographic distribution from northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh east to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and south to Peninsular Malaysia, East Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines (Wallach et al. 2014). LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens. Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens. Family Pareidae Romer, 1956 (1 species) Genus Pareas Wagler, 1830 (1 species)Published as part of Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore's herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, pp. 1-378 in Zootaxa 5287 (1) on page 278, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/796031
Hydrophis melanosoma Gnther 1864
No full textHydrophis melanosoma Ģnther, 1864 — Erroneous. Robust Sea Snake Singapore records. Hydrophis melanosoma —Sworder, 1923: 68.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 148.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 135.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 148.— Das, 2010: 320.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 273. Mediohydrophis melanosoma —Wallach et al., 2014: 431. Remarks. Sworder (1923) suspected the presence of H. melanosoma in Singapore given its presence in the Straits of Malacca, but no records exist of this species from Singapore. Subsequent publications likely refer to Sworder (1923). LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens. Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.Published as part of Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore's herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, pp. 1-378 in Zootaxa 5287 (1) on page 290, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/796031
The once and future publishing library
No full textThis report looks at topic of libraries as publishers, with investigations mainly in the U.S. research institution context.
Specifically, we reviewed existing literature and conducted a survey of members of the Library Publishing Coalition, seeking to learn the kinds of activities they are undertaking as publishing, the business models they are using, their definitions of success, and their attitudes tow ard open access or end-user pay models. Our aim was to better under - stand this emerging sphere of library activity and its possible future in the scholarly communication and publishing sphere. Will library publishing grow and be sustainable? Will libraries play a new and permanent role? If so, in what way and what will be required?
When we refer to libraries as publishers, we consider the range of transactions in which library leaders and staff conceive, evaluate, support, and ultimately produce what we now call content for broad public dissemination, in whatever medium. We say this in full awareness that different observers will draw in different places the line between “publication” and something less structured, coherent, or significant. That ambiguity is an implicit theme of what follows.
We consulted the growing number of articles and other publications (Appendix A) to better understand the range of ideas that underlie library-as-publisher discourse. Distinguishing the different strains of activity and expectation that animate current conversa - tions can help us understand not only the present moment but also the varied possibilities that loom ahead. We also look at the sub-topic of funding the library publishing enterprise, as well as the sustainability of today’s endeavors, so we present results from a small survey of about 50 librarie
Development of the Zimbabwe family planning program
No full textFamily planning was introduced in Zimbabwe as a voluntary movement in the 1950s. Volunteers formed a Family Planning Association in the mid-1960s. The government became interested in family planning in the late 1960s after analysis of the 1961 population census. It gave the Family Planning Association an annual grant, allowed contraceptives to be available through Ministry of Health facilities, and allowed nonmedical personnel to initiate and resupply family planning clients with condoms and pills. But before Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, family planning was viewed with great suspicion by the black majority, so the program's effectiveness was limited to the urban few. A new era began after independence. The new government took over theFamily Planning Association and changed its outlook completely. Through government and international donor support, the family planning program was restructured and expanded. The number of family planning personnel more than doubled in some units. More service delivery points were set up - particularly in rural areas. And the information, education, and communication and evaluation and research units were established. Through a World Bank-assisted project (with grant funding from Norway and Denmark), the Ministry of Health began strengthening its family planning capabilities. These efforts helped increase the contraceptive prevalence rate from about 14 percent in 1982 to 43 percent in 1988. But the program's growth is beginning to stall. More effort and resources are needed if the program is to grow or even maintain its present status. Particularly important are the following: designing innovative strategies to reach hard-to-reach populations; giving more emphasis to information, education, and communication, especially for men and youths, using multimedia; involving other sectors in the delivery of family planning services; broadening the mix of contraceptive methods (especially promoting long-term and permanent methods); making use of alternative family planning delivery systems, such as the use of depot holders, volunteers, and government extension workers; establishing a national population policy; and considering cost recovery and other measures for self-sustainment and program growth.Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,ICT Policy and Strategies,Gender and Health,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Adolescent Health
The adolescent brain and depression: a neuroimaging approach to understanding biological and psychosocial risk factors
No full textAdolescence is a period of significant neurodevelopment and increased vulnerability to the onset of depression. However, the neural underpinnings of depression during adolescence and the associated risk factors are not well understood. The aim of this PhD research was to fill this knowledge gap by examining biological and psychosocial factors associated with the emergence of depression during adolescence.
Using a large, population-based sample, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, my doctoral work found that depression in early adolescence is associated with similar neuroimaging findings (cortical and white matter microstructural features) to those seen in adult depression samples. Further, the work in this thesis demonstrated that earlier pubertal timing is associated with an increased risk for later depression in adolescence. While earlier pubertal timing was also related to structural brain features, brain structure was not found to mediate the observed association between early pubertal timing and later depressive symptoms. This finding highlights the important role that other aspects of a young person’s biology, psychology and social world may play, and should be explored in future work.
This thesis also investigated how dynamic functional brain networks relate to irritability in adolescent depression using a co-produced youth-researcher design. In this pilot study, I first worked with young people to develop a novel fMRI irritability task that reflected the social nature of irritability in adolescence. Using a local sample of youth with depressive symptoms, I found that dynamic functional brain networks differed between the irritability task and a standard resting state scan, which provides preliminary evidence for validation of this novel task. Finally, my work demonstrated that properties of dynamic brain networks related to emotion regulation and cognitive control were associated with youth depressive symptoms and irritable mood.
Taken together, the findings of this thesis suggest that neuroanatomical differences may be present early in the disease course of depression and that biological factors, such as early pubertal development, relate to depression risk. Moreover, this work provides preliminary evidence to suggest that alterations in dynamic brain network properties are associated with depressive symptoms and irritability in adolescence. Further, this doctoral research highlights the importance of co-produced study designs in developmental cognitive neuroscience. This work makes an important contribution to our understanding of the factors associated with the emergence of depression during adolescence, which lays a strong foundation upon which to base future longitudinal research
Buckling test of stiffened panels: evaluation of post-buckling and failure by testing and layerwise models
No full textThe present paper deals with the buckling and post-buckling analysis of a multilayered
composite reinforced panel. The panel, designed for aeronautical applications, results in a
complex stacking sequence, and the development of a refined model able to describe its
geometrical nonlinear behavior is mandatory to avoid the usage of highly computational effortrequired 3D finite elements. The proposed approach is a finite element analysis based on the
Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). Thanks to CUF, a 1D model of the composite panel can be
formulated and complicated stress fields within the structure can be evaluated, so that the
nonlinear behavior is fully described. A refined Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) technique is
employed, making use of Lagrange polynomials for the description of the stacking sequence. The
results clearly demonstrate the reliability of this approach, comparing the linearized buckling and
nonlinear post-buckling solutions with those from Nastran (1D, 2D and 3D) and experiment
Beyond recurrent costs: an institutional analysis of the unsustainability of donor-supported reforms in agricultural extension
No full textInternational donors have spent billions of dollars over the past four decades in developing and/or reforming the agricultural extension service delivery arrangements in developing countries. However, many of these reforms, supported through short-term projects, became unsustainable once aid funding had ceased. The unavailability of recurrent funding has predominantly been highlighted in the literature as the key reason for this undesirable outcome, while little has been written about institutional factors. The purpose of this article is to examine the usefulness of taking an institutional perspective in explaining the unsustainability of donor-supported extension reforms and derive lessons for improvement. Using a framework drawn from the school of institutionalism in a Bangladeshi case study, we have found that a reform becomes unsustainable because of poor demands for extension information and advice; missing, weak, incongruent, and perverse institutional frameworks governing the exchange of extension goods (services); and a lack of institutional learning and change during the reform process. Accordingly, we have argued that strategies for sustainable extension reforms should move beyond financial considerations and include such measures as making extension goods (services) more tangible and monetary in nature, commissioning in-depth studies to learn about local institutions, crafting new institutions and/or reforming the weak and perverse institutions prevailing in developing countries. We emphasize the need to address three categories of institutions – regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive – and call for an alignment among them. We further argue that, in order to be sustainable, a reform should take a systemic approach in institutional capacity building and, for this to be possible, adopt a long-term program approach, as opposed to a short-term project approach
Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height
No full textMost common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits(1), but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait(2,3). The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P<0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways
- …
