Hydrographic charting from LANDSAT Satellite: A comparison with aircraft imagery

The relative capabilities of two remote-sensing systems in measuring depth and, consequently, bottom contours in sandy-bottomed and sediment-laden coastal waters were determined quantitatively. The multispectral scanner (MSS), orbited on the LANDSAT-2 Satellite, and the ocean color scanner (OCS), flown on U-2 aircraft, were used. Analysis of imagery taken simultaneously indicates a potential for hydrographic charting of marine coastal and shallow shelf areas, even when water turbidity is a factor. Several of the eight optical channels examined on the OCS were found to be sensitive to depth or depth-related information. The greatest sensitivity was in OCS-4(0.544 + or - 0.012 microns) from which contours corresponding to depths up to 12m were determined. The sharpness of these contours and their spatial stability through time suggests that upwelling radiance is a measure of bottom reflectance and not of water turbidity. The two visible channels on LANDSAT's MSS were less sensitive in the discrimination of contours, with depths up to 8m in the high-gain mode (3x) determined in MSS-4(0.5 to 0.6 microns)

An Alternative Parameterization of R-matrix Theory

An alternative parameterization of R-matrix theory is presented which is mathematically equivalent to the standard approach, but possesses features which simplify the fitting of experimental data. In particular there are no level shifts and no boundary-condition constants which allows the positions and partial widths of an arbitrary number levels to be easily fixed in an analysis. These alternative parameters can be converted to standard R-matrix parameters by a straightforward matrix diagonalization procedure. In addition it is possible to express the collision matrix directly in terms of the alternative parameters.Comment: 8 pages; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C; expanded Sec. IV, added Sec. VI, added Appendix, corrected typo

A two-stage stochastic programming with recourse model for determining robust planting plans in horticulture

A two-stage stochastic programming with recourse model for the problem of determining optimal planting plans for a vegetable crop is presented in this paper. Uncertainty caused by factors such as weather on yields is a major influence on many systems arising in horticulture. Traditional linear programming models are generally unsatisfactory in dealing with the uncertainty and produce solutions that are considered to involve an unacceptable level of risk. The first stage of the model relates to finding a planting plan which is common to all scenarios and the second stage is concerned with deriving a harvesting schedule for each scenario. Solutions are obtained for a range of risk aversion factors that not only result in greater expected profit compared to the corresponding deterministic model, but also are more robust

Effect of tart cherry juice on risk of gout attacks: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction: Gout is a painful form of inflammatory arthritis associated with several comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular disease. Cherries, which are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidative bioactive compounds, are proposed to be efficacious in preventing and treating gout, but recommendations to patients are conflicting. Cherry consumption has been demonstrated to lower serum urate levels and inflammation in several small studies. One observational case cross-over study reported that cherry consumption was associated with reduced risk of recurrent gout attacks. This preliminary evidence requires substantiation. The proposed randomised clinical trial aims to test the effect of consumption of tart cherry juice on risk of gout attacks. Methods and analysis: This 12-month, parallel, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial will recruit 120 individuals (aged 18–80 years) with a clinical diagnosis of gout who have self-reported a gout flare in the previous year. Participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group, which will receive Montmorency tart cherry juice daily for a 12-month period, or a corresponding placebo group, which will receive a cherry-flavoured placebo drink. The primary study outcome is change in frequency of self-reported gout attacks. Secondary outcome measures include attack intensity, serum urate concentration, fractional excretion of uric acid, biomarkers of inflammation, blood lipids and other markers of cardiovascular risk. Other secondary outcome measures will be changes in physical activity and functional status. Statistical analysis will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been granted ethical approval by the National Research Ethics Service, Yorkshire and The Humber—Leeds West Research Ethics Committee (ref: 18/SW/0262). Results of the trial will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Trial registration number: NCT03621215

Online peer support for students

While many UK higher education institutions have websites offering information and advice on common student problems, interactive online support is less common. This article describes a project developing internet-based mutual support for students experiencing psychological problems at University College London

A study of the applicability of nucleation theory to quasi-thermodynamic transitions of second and higher Ehrenfest-order

The applicability of classical nucleation theory to second (and higher) order thermodynamic transitions in the Ehrenfest sense has been investigated and expressions have been derived upon which the qualitative and quantitative success of the basic approach must ultimately depend. The expressions describe the effect of temperature undercooling, hydrostatic pressure, and tensile stress upon the critical parameters, the critical nucleus size, and critical free energy barrier, for nucleation in a thermodynamic transition of any general order. These expressions are then specialized for the case of first and second order transitions. The expressions for the case of undercooling are then used in conjunction with literature data to estimate values for the critical quantities in a system undergoing a pseudo-second order transition (the glass transition in polystyrene). Methods of estimating the interfacial energy gamma in systems undergoing a first and second order transition are also discussed

A study of the applicability of nucleation theory to quasi-thermodynamic transformations of second and higher Ehrenfest-order

Transient and steady-state phenomena in temperature, stress, and electric, field intensity in ferroelectric polymers were investigated. The application and extension of the theory in the primary stage to the polarization domain nucleation and growth in ferroelectric polymers were developed. The kinetics of this growth were investigated. Expressions describing nucleation under the influence of an electric field were found through the expansion of the Gibbs' free energy in a Maclaurin series. The series was expanded in the electric field strength rather than the degree of undercooling. The resulting expressions were manipulated and applied to the case of nucleation of polarized domains in ferroelectric polymers. The kinetics of the nucleation and growth of polarized domains are also investigated. This was accomplished through the modification of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami treatment of crystallization kinetics to be applicable to the growth of polarization domains in ferroelectric materials

Initial Validation of a Brief Pictorial Measure of Caregiver Aggression: The Family Aggression Screening Tool

In the present study, we report on the development and initial psychometric properties of the Family Aggression Screening Tool (FAST). The FAST is a brief, self-report tool that makes use of pictorial representations to assess experiences of caregiver aggression, including direct victimization and exposure to intimate partner violence. It is freely available on request and takes under 5 minutes to complete. Psychometric properties of the FAST were investigated in a sample of 168 high-risk youth aged 16 to 24 years. For validation purposes, maltreatment history was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; levels of current psychiatric symptoms were also assessed. Internal consistency of the FAST was good. Convergent validity was supported by strong and discriminative associations with corresponding Childhood Trauma Questionnaire subscales. The FAST also correlated significantly with multi-informant reports of psychiatric symptomatology. Initial findings provide support for the reliability and validity of the FAST as a brief, pictorial screening tool of caregiver aggression

Oedipus of many pains: Strategies of contest in Homeric poetry

In this paper we analyse Oedipus’ appearance during Odysseus’ tale in book 11 of Homer’s Odyssey in order to outline and test a methodology for appreciating the poetic and thematic implications of moments when ‘extraneous’ narratives or traditions appear in the Homeric poems. Our analysis, which draws on oral-formulaic theory, is offered partly as a re-evaluation of standard scholarly approaches that tend to over-rely on the assumed pre-eminence of Homeric narratives over other traditions in their original contexts or approaches that reduce such moments to instances of allusions to or parallels with fixed texts. In conjunction with perspectives grounded in orality, we emphasise the agonistic character of Greek poetry to explore the ways in which Odysseus’ articulation of his Oedipus narrative exemplifies an attempt to appropriate and manipulate a rival tradition in the service of a particular narrative’s ends. We focus specifically on the resonance of the phrases algea polla and mega ergon used by Odysseus as a narrator to draw a web of interconnections throughout Homeric and Archaic Greek poetry. Such an approach, in turn, suggests to what extent the Homeric Oedipus passage speaks to the themes and concerns of Homeric poetry rather than some lost Oedipal epic tradition and illustrates the importance of recognizing the deeply competitive nature of Homeric narratives vis-à-vis other narrative traditions