Evangelical Christians in Canadian National Television News, 1994–2004: A Frame Analysis

Recent surveys have shown that most evangelical Christians in Canada believe that the news media treat them unfairly. This study empirically tested the validity of the evangelicals’ charge against the media by examining the frames used in the nightly, national news reports of Global, CBC and CTV television networks. An analysis of all reports featuring evangelicals showed that neutral and positive frames, together, were almost equal in strength and number to negative frames used; this resulted in an overall rating of “balanced” for the coverage. While overall the coverage was balanced, the frequency and exclusivity of certain negative frames elevated their saliency considerably. For example, the “evangelicals as intolerant” frame alone appeared in one quarter of all reports. Regarding topic of the news reports, evangelicals most often received coverage for involvement in politics followed closely by involvement in criminal or immoral actions. Implications of these results are discussed

Nuclear Equation of State from Observations of Short Gamma-Ray Burst Remnants

The favoured progenitor model for short $\gamma$-ray bursts (SGRBs) is the merger of two neutron stars that triggers an explosion with a burst of collimated $\gamma$-rays. Following the initial prompt emission, some SGRBs exhibit a plateau phase in their $X$-ray light curves that indicates additional energy injection from a central engine, believed to be a rapidly rotating, highly magnetised neutron star. The collapse of this `protomagnetar' to a black hole is likely to be responsible for a steep decay in $X$-ray flux observed at the end of the plateau. In this letter, we show that these observations can be used to effectively constrain the equation of state of dense matter. In particular, we show that the known distribution of masses in binary neutron star systems, together with fits to the $X$-ray light curves, provide constraints that exclude the softest and stiffest plausible equations of state. We further illustrate how a future gravitational wave observation with Advanced LIGO/Virgo can place tight constraints on the equation of state, by adding into the picture a measurement of the chirp mass of the SGRB progenitor.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Ecological implications of a flower size/number trade-off in tropical forest trees

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Managing sedentary behavior to reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Modern human environments are vastly different from those of our forebears. Rapidly advancing technology in transportation, communications, workplaces, and home entertainment confer a wealth of benefits, but increasingly come with costs to human health. Sedentary behavior—too much sitting as distinct from too little physical activity—contributes adversely to cardiometabolic health outcomes and premature mortality. Findings from observational epidemiology have been synthesized in meta-analyses, and evidence is now shifting into the realm of experimental trials with the aim of identifying novel mechanisms and potential causal relationships. We discuss recent observational and experimental evidence that makes a compelling case for reducing and breaking up prolonged sitting time in both the primary prevention and disease management contexts. We also highlight future research needs, the opportunities for developing targeted interventions, and the potential of population-wide initiatives designed to address too much sitting as a health risk

Limits to Performance Improvement Provided by Balanced Interferometers and Balanced Detection in OCT/OCM Instruments

We compare the dynamic range of OCT/OCM instruments configured with unbalanced interferometers, e.g., Michelson interferometers, with that of instruments utilizing balanced interferometers and balanced photodetection. We define the dynamic range (DR) as the ratio of the maximum fringe amplitude achieved with a highly reflecting surface to the root-mean-square (rms) noise. Balanced systems achieve a dynamic range 2.5 times higher than that of a Michelson interferometer, enabling an image acquisition speed roughly 6 times faster. This maximum improvement occurs at light source powers of a few milliwatts. At light source powers higher than 30 mW, the advantage in acquisition speed of balanced systems is reduced to a factor of 4. For video-rate imaging, the increased cost and complexity of a balanced system may be outweighed by the factor of 4 to 6 enhancement in image acquisition speed. We include in our analysis the beat-noise resulting from incoherent fight backscattered from the sample, which reduces the advantage of balanced systems. We attempt to resolve confusion surrounding the origin and magnitude of beat-noise , first described by L. Mandel in 1962. Beat-noise is present in both balanced and unbalanced OCT/OCM instruments

Role of Beat Noise in Limiting the Sensitivity of Optical Coherence Tomography

The sensitivity and dynamic range of optical coherence tomography (OCT) are calculated for instruments utilizing two common interferometer configurations and detection schemes. Previous researchers recognized that the performance of dual-balanced OCT instruments is severely limited by beat noise, which is generated by incoherent light backscattered from the sample. However, beat noise has been ignored in previous calculations of Michelson OCT performance. Our measurements of instrument noise confirm the presence of beat noise even in a simple Michelson interferometer configuration with a single photodetector. Including this noise, we calculate the dynamic range as a function of OCT light source power, and find that instruments employing balanced interferometers and balanced detectors can achieve a sensitivity up to six times greater than those based on a simple Michelson interferometer, thereby boosting image acquisition speed by the same factor for equal image quality. However, this advantage of balanced systems is degraded for source powers greater than a few milliwatts. We trace the concept of beat noise back to an earlier paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 52, 1335 (1962)]

The effects of exurbanization on the food and habitat of pileated woodpeckers

*Background/Question/Methods* 
_Dryocopus pileatus_ (pileated woodpeckers) are the largest woodpeckers in the United States. They require large trees for roosting, nesting, and feeding and these trees must be dead or dying for ease of excavation and presence of the woodpeckers' main prey of ants and grubs. Because of these habitat requirements, pileated woodpeckers are used as an indicator species for mature forests. However, their status in exurban areas, or places of low-density development beyond the suburban fringe, is poorly known. Because exurbanization covers a large and growing portion of the eastern U.S.A., we examined how pileated woodpeckers and their habitat vary across a gradient of exurbanization. We tested the hypothesis that presence of pileated woodpeckers is positively correlated with forest structure and food availability, in exurban and forested areas. We conducted the study in Sewanee, Tennessee, U.S.A., establishing 30 randomly located sample points evenly divided between exurban and forested areas. At each point we assessed pileated woodpecker presence through visual and vocal surveys; forest structure through measures of downed wood, standing trees, and understory density; and food availability through presence of ants and grubs in soil cores and pitfall traps.

*Results/Conclusions* 
We found no difference between the presence of pileated woodpeckers, amount and rot class of dead wood, and ant and grub abundance between exurban and forested areas. Mean tree diameter was larger in exurban areas most likely because many small trees had been removed by human landscaping. These data suggest that some exurban areas may provide habitat for pileated woodpeckers. However, more studies are needed to examine the breeding success and survival rates of pileated woodpeckers in exurban and forested areas. Because the mature forest characteristics that pileated woodpeckers prefer can be found in exurban areas, it is possible that other species requiring these characteristics could also find usable habitat in exurban areas. This could apply most specifically to those secondary cavity-nesting species that use old pileated woodpecker nesting cavities. More studies should be conducted to further explore the effects of exurbanization on other species that are thought of as indicating mature forests

Differences in Burnout and Intent to Leave Between Women’s Health and General Primary Care Providers in the Veterans Health Administration

BackgroundAlthough they are a minority of patients served by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), women Veterans comprise a fast-growing segment of these patients and have unique clinical needs. Women’s health primary care providers (WH-PCPs) are specially trained and designated to provide care for women Veterans. Prior work has demonstrated that WH-PCPs deliver better preventative care and have more satisfied patients than PCPs without the WH designation. However, due to unique clinical demands or other factors, WH-PCPs may experience more burnout and intent to leave practice than general PCPs in the VHA.ObjectiveTo examine differences in burnout and intent to leave practice among WH and general PCPs in the VHA.DesignMulti-level logistic regression analysis of three cross-sectional waves of PCPs within the VHA using the national All Employee Survey and practice data (2017–2019). We modeled outcomes of burnout and intent to leave practice as a function of WH provider designation, gender, and other demographics and practice characteristics, such as support staff ratio, panel size, and setting.ParticipantsA total of 7903 primary care providers (5152 general PCPs and 2751 WH-PCPs; response rates: 63.9%, 65.7%, and 67.5% in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively).Main MeasuresBurnout and intent to leave practice.Key ResultsWH-PCPs were more burned out than general PCPs (unadjusted: 55.0% vs. 46.9%, p<0.001; adjusted: OR=1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–1.55) but did not have a higher intention to leave (unadjusted: 33.4% vs. 32.1%, p=0.27; adjusted: OR=1.07, CI 0.81–1.41). WH-PCPs with intentions to leave were more likely to select the response option of “job-related (e.g., type of work, workload, burnout, boredom)” as their primary reason to leave.ConclusionsBurnout is higher among WH-PCPs compared to general PCPs, even after accounting for provider and practice characteristics. More research on causes of and solutions for these differences in burnout is needed

Thermal Links for the Implementation of an Optical Refrigerator

Optical refrigeration has been demonstrated by several groups of researchers, but the cooling elements have not been thermally linked to realistic heat loads in ways that achieve the desired temperatures. The ideal thermal link will have minimal surface area, provide complete optical isolation for the load, and possess high thermal conductivity. We have designed thermal links that minimize the absorption of fluoresced photons by the heat load using multiple mirrors and geometric shapes including a hemisphere, a kinked waveguide, and a tapered waveguide. While total link performance is dependent on additional factors, we have observed net transmission of photons with the tapered link as low as 0.04%. Our optical tests have been performed with a surrogate source that operates at 625 nm and mimics the angular distribution of light emitted from the cooling element of the Los Alamos solid state optical refrigerator. We have confirmed the optical performance of our various link geometries with computer simulations using CODE V optical modeling software. In addition we have used the thermal modeling tool in COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS to investigate other heating factors that affect the thermal performance of the optical refrigerator. Assuming an ideal cooling element and a nonabsorptive dielectric trapping mirror, the three dominant heating factors are (1) absorption of fluoresced photons transmitted through the thermal link, (2) blackbody radiation from the surrounding environment, and (3) conductive heat transfer through mechanical supports. Modeling results show that a 1 cm3 load can be chilled to 107 K with a 100Wpump laser. We have used the simulated steady-state cooling temperatures of the heat load to compare link designs and system configurations

Intrinsic calf factors associated with the behavior of healthy pre-weaned group-housed dairy-bred calves

Technology-derived behaviors are researched for disease detection in artificially-reared calves. Whilst existing studies demonstrate differences in behaviors between healthy and diseased calves, intrinsic calf factors (e.g., sex and birthweight) that may affect these behaviors have received little systematic study. This study aimed to understand the impact of a range of calf factors on milk feeding and activity variables of dairy-bred calves. Calves were group-housed from ~7 days to 39 days of age. Seven liters of milk replacer was available daily from an automatic milk feeder, which recorded feeding behaviors and live-weight. Calves were health scored daily and a tri-axial accelerometer used to record activity variables. Healthy calves were selected by excluding data collected 3 days either side of a poor health score or a treatment event. Thirty-one calves with 10 days each were analyzed. Mixed models were used to identify which of live-weight, age, sex, season of birth, age of inclusion into the group, dam parity, birthweight, and sire breed type (beef or dairy), had a significant influence on milk feeding and activity variables. Heavier calves visited the milk machine more frequently for shorter visits, drank faster and were more likely to drink their daily milk allowance than lighter calves. Older calves had a shorter mean standing bout length and were less active than younger calves. Calves born in summer had a longer daily lying time, performed more lying and standing bouts/day and had shorter mean standing bouts than those born in autumn or winter. Male calves had a longer mean lying bout length, drank more slowly and were less likely to consume their daily milk allowance than their female counterparts. Calves that were born heavier had fewer lying and standing bouts each day, a longer mean standing bout length and drank less milk per visit. Beef-sired calves had a longer mean lying bout length and drank more slowly than their dairy sired counterparts. Intrinsic calf factors influence different healthy calf behaviors in different ways. These factors must be considered in the design of research studies and the field application of behavior-based disease detection tools in artificially reared calves