Measuring significant variability characteristics: An assessment of three UK renewables

The variability of renewable energy is widely recognised as a challenge for integrating high levels of renewable generation into electricity systems. However, to explore its implications effectively, variability itself should first be clearly understood. This is particularly true for national electricity systems with high planned penetration of renewables and limited interconnection such as the UK. Variability cannot be considered as a distinct resource property with a single measurable parameter, but is a multi-faceted concept best described by a range of distinct characteristics. This paper identifies relevant characteristics of variability, and considers their implications for energy research. This is done through analysis of wind, solar and tidal current resources, with a primary focus on the Bristol Channel region in the UK. The relationship with electricity demand is considered, alongside the potential benefits of resource diversity. Analysis is presented in terms of persistence, distribution, frequency and correlation between supply and demand. Marked differences are seen between the behaviours of the individual resources, and these give rise to a range of different implications for system integration. Wind shows strong persistence and a useful seasonal pattern, but also a high spread in energy levels at timescales beyond one or two days. The solar resource is most closely correlated with electricity demand, but is undermined by night-time zero values and an even greater spread of monthly energy delivered than wind. In contrast, the tidal resource exhibits very low persistence, but also much greater consistency in energy values assessed across monthly time scales. Whilst this paper focuses primarily on the behaviour of resources, it is noted that discrete variability characteristics can be related to different system impacts. Persistence and predictability are relevant for system balancing, whereas statistical distribution is more relevant when exploring issues of asset utilisation and energy curtailment. Areas of further research are also identified, including the need to assess the value of predictability in relation to other characteristics.

How do multilateral institutions influence individual perceptions of international affairs? Evidence from Europe and Asia

To date there has been no systematic study of the relationship between individuals’ opinions of different institutions and their perceptions of world affairs. This article tries to fill this gap by using a large cross-country data set comprising nine EU members and seven Asian nations and instrumental variable bivariate probit regression analysis. Controlling for a host of factors, the article shows that individuals’ confidence in multilateral institutions affects their perceptions of whether or not their country is being treated fairly in international affairs. This finding expands upon both theoretical work on multilateral institutions that has focused on state actors’ rationale for engaging in multilateral cooperation and empirical work that has treated confidence in multilateral institutions as a dependent variable. The article also shows that individuals’ confidence in different international organizations has undifferentiated effects on their perceptions of whether or not their country is being treated fairly in international affairs, though individuals more knowledgeable about international affairs exhibit slightly different attitudes. Finally, the article demonstrates significant differences in opinion across Europe and Asia.

Using an individual-based model to select among alternative foraging strategies of woodpigeons: data support a memory-based model with a flocking mechanism

Population modelling is increasingly recognised as a useful tool for pesticide risk assessment. For vertebrates that may ingest pesticides with their food, such as woodpigeon (Columba palumbus), population models that simulate foraging behaviour explicitly can help predicting both exposure and population-level impact. Optimal foraging theory is often assumed to explain the individual-level decisions driving distributions of individuals in the field, but it may not adequately predict spatial and temporal characteristics of woodpigeon foraging because of the woodpigeons’ excellent memory, ability to fly long distances, and distinctive flocking behaviour. Here we present an individual-based model (IBM) of the woodpigeon. We used the model to predict distributions of foraging woodpigeons that use one of six alternative foraging strategies: optimal foraging, memory-based foraging and random foraging, each with or without flocking mechanisms. We used pattern-oriented modelling to determine which of the foraging strategies is best able to reproduce observed data patterns. Data used for model evaluation were gathered during a long-term woodpigeon study conducted between 1961 and 2004 and a radiotracking study conducted in 2003 and 2004, both in the UK, and are summarised here as three complex patterns: the distributions of foraging birds between vegetation types during the year, the number of fields visited daily by individuals, and the proportion of fields revisited by them on subsequent days. The model with a memory-based foraging strategy and a flocking mechanism was the only one to reproduce these three data patterns, and the optimal foraging model produced poor matches to all of them. The random foraging strategy reproduced two of the three patterns but was not able to guarantee population persistence. We conclude that with the memory-based foraging strategy including a flocking mechanism our model is realistic enough to estimate the potential exposure of woodpigeons to pesticides. We discuss how exposure can be linked to our model, and how the model could be used for risk assessment of pesticides, for example predicting exposure and effects in heterogeneous landscapes planted seasonally with a variety of crops, while accounting for differences in land use between landscapes.

Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Demand for organic meat is partially driven by consumer perceptions that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. However, there have been no systematic reviews comparing specifically the nutrient content of organic and conventionally produced meat. In this study, we report results of a meta-analysis based on sixty-seven published studies comparing the composition of organic and non-organic meat products. For many nutritionally relevant compounds (e.g. minerals, antioxidants and most individual fatty acids (FA)), the evidence base was too weak for meaningful meta-analyses. However, significant differences in FA profiles were detected when data from all livestock species were pooled. Concentrations of SFA and MUFA were similar or slightly lower, respectively, in organic compared with conventional meat. Larger differences were detected for total PUFA and n-3 PUFA, which were an estimated 23 (95 % CI 11, 35) % and 47 (95 % CI 10, 84) % higher in organic meat, respectively. However, for these and many other composition parameters, for which meta-analyses found significant differences, heterogeneity was high, and this could be explained by differences between animal species/meat types. Evidence from controlled experimental studies indicates that the high grazing/forage-based diets prescribed under organic farming standards may be the main reason for differences in FA profiles. Further studies are required to enable meta-analyses for a wider range of parameters (e.g. antioxidant, vitamin and mineral concentrations) and to improve both precision and consistency of results for FA profiles for all species. Potential impacts of composition differences on human health are discussed.

Integrating eye tracking in virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation

This thesis reports on research done for the integration of eye tracking technology into virtual reality environments, with the goal of using it in rehabilitation of patients who suffered from stroke. For the last few years, eye tracking has been a focus on medical research, used as an assistive tool  to help people with disabilities interact with new technologies  and as an assessment tool  to track the eye gaze during computer interactions. However, tracking more complex gaze behaviors and relating them to motor deficits in people with disabilities is an area that has not been fully explored, therefore it became the focal point of this research. During the research, two exploratory studies were performed in which eye tracking technology was integrated in the context of a newly created virtual reality task to assess the impact of stroke. Using an eye tracking device and a custom virtual task, the system developed is able to monitor the eye gaze pattern changes over time in patients with stroke, as well as allowing their eye gaze to function as an input for the task. Based on neuroscientific hypotheses of upper limb motor control, the studies aimed at verifying the differences in gaze patterns during the observation and execution of the virtual goal-oriented task in stroke patients (N=10), and also to assess normal gaze behavior in healthy participants (N=20). Results were found consistent and supported the hypotheses formulated, showing that eye gaze could be used as a valid assessment tool on these patients. However, the findings of this first exploratory approach are limited in order to fully understand the effect of stroke on eye gaze behavior. Therefore, a novel model-driven paradigm is proposed to further understand the relation between the neuronal mechanisms underlying goal-oriented actions and eye gaze behavior.

Chronic contamination assessment integrating biomarkers' responses in transplanted mussels-A seasonal monitoring

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estilo de vida individual de universitários jovens com excesso de peso da Universidade Católica de Murcia-Espanha

Individual lifestyle includes health and risk behaviors that can altar health status. Excess weight is a public health problem of modern civilization and there is an estimated mean prevalence of 45% in European countries. In Spain, the Murcia Region is an area of high morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disorders. In this study we assess the differences in health and risk behaviors in ove/weight and normal weight undergraduates at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM). Methods: Transversal design of parallel groups (overweight - cases and normal weight - control) , formed using the anthropometric technique. A questionnaire applied to a sample of 471 undergraduates of either sex, between the ages of 18 and 29 years, enrolled in 4 bachelor degree courses (ADE, CA, PER, PUB) at UCAM. We performed a standardized measurement of body mass (weight in kg), height (in meters) using a Seca® scale with calibrated stadiometer, waist and hip circumferences (in cm) with an inelastic tape and skinfolds thickness (triceps and subscapular in mm) with a Holtain® caliper, to calculate body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and the sum of skinfolds (SSF). We applied a lifestyle questionnaire about alcohol and tobacco consumption, knowledge and behaviors related to health indicators (arterial pressure and cholesterol), diet and physical activity. The information was collected in April and May, 2001 at the UCAM laboratory of Applied Nutrition. Statistical analysis: analysis of independent groups, contingency tables that reveal which qualitativa variables show differences and associations between the groups, Pearson's chi-square,and a significance levei of p < 0.05 followed by a residual analysis (1.96). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to establish the two groups: case and contrai with 65 men and 26 women each who had BMI < 25 kg/m2. Results: A total of 65 of the men assessed (14%) and 26 (6%) of the women were overweight. Mean body mass index of the case group was 27. 78 ±: 2.83 kg/m2 in the men and 26.26 ± 1.37 kg/m2 in the women, while contrai group men had mean BMI of 22.36 ± 1.72 kg/m2, while for the women it was 20.76 ±: 2.13 kg/m2. The self-declared values of weight and height were underestimated, but with high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. Thus, these can be used to calculate the BMI of overweight Spanish undergraduates. Regular vigorous physical activity was observed only in normal weight men. The analysis showed the following significant differences for the qualitativa variables of the two groups. The contrai group was interested in arterial hypertension, believed that they were not overweight, that they had no abdominal fat, and had not considered controlling 'fatty food consumption. Those who thought of controlling it sometimes, did so without professional help. However, part of the overweight group believed that they were overweight and had abdominal fat between average and considerable, had often or always considered controlling fatty foods and had often or always tried to control consumption with the help of professionals. They had always thought of engaging in physical activities, unlike the normal weight individuals. Nearly all (95%) of the overweight undergraduates and most (75%) of the normal weight group reported that they sometimes or always controlled fatty food ingestion. Mean physical activity was nearly twice as high in the summer than in the winter. Conclusions: The overweight undergraduates in this sample displayed a lifestyle with a greater number of healthy behaviors when compared to normal weight individuals

Heteroplasmy in hair: Differences among hair and blood from the same individuals are still a matter of debate

The analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a useful tool in forensic cases when sample contents too little or degraded nuclear DNA to genotype by autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, but it is especially useful when the only forensic evidence is a hair shaft. Several authors have related differences in mtDNA from different tissues within the same individual, with high frequency of heteroplasmic variants in hair, as also in some other tissues. Is still a matter of debate how the differences influence the interpretation forensic protocols. One difference between two samples supposed to be originated from the same individual are related to an inconclusive result, but depending on the tissue and the position of the difference it should have a different interpretation, based on mutation-rate heterogeneity of mtDNA. In order to investigate it differences in the mtDNA control region from hair hafts and blood in our population, sequences from the hypervariable regions 1 and 2 (HV1 and HV2) from 100 Brazilian unrelated individuals were compared. The frequency of point heteroplasmy observed in hair was 10.5% by sequencing. Our study confirms the results related by other authors that concluded that small differences within tissues should be interpreted with caution especially when analyzing hair samples. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Tomada de decisão de Psicólogos em avaliação Psicologica

Psychological assessment is a procedure that is inserted in all areas of a psychologist s professional field of work. When starting any psychological intervention, it is necessary to carry an analysis of how individual operate in order to identify and define their demands to adequately meet them. It is important to study this practice because the choice of instruments, techniques and procedures to be employed influences the efficiency and effectiveness of the work and the image of the profession towards society in general, also impacting the scientific community. This study aimed to identify, in the subjects, the percentage of professionals in psychology who make use of the Psychological Assessment in the Northeastern region of Brazil; another objectives were to analyze the profile of these professionals in terms of gender, time after graduation, additional training in PA, the state of the country where he/she works; to check how psychologists do their planning when using PA as well as to identify which differences can be observed in terms of time from graduation and additional training in the process of planning the assessment different extents. The instrument used was an online questionnaire and the sample was by adhesion to the application. The attendance was of 159 professionals and most of them were females with a specialist degree. It was found that the majority of the professionals perform the planning of the PA, establishing a method and choosing the most appropriate strategies to be used. It was also verified that most of the subjects fulfill the steps of the whole process, and when planning the techniques of data collection, integrating database from different sources, reporting the results and returning the information, the professional demonstrates his/her goals to understand their demands and accomplish the decision making and/or proposed intervention for individuals assessed. It was found that the undergraduate degree may not have produced a more complete effect in the professional qualification and therefore, of the quality of the actions in PA, and that there is a need for training and continuing education

Analysis of plant LTR-retrotransposons at the fine-scale family level reveals individual molecular patterns

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Blood glucose responses in humans mirror lactate responses for individual anaerobic threshold and for lactate minimum in track tests

The equilibrium point between blood lactate production and removal (La-min(-)) and the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT) protocols have been used to evaluate exercise. During progressive exercise, blood lactate [La-](b), catecholamine and cortisol concentrations, show exponential increases at upper anaerobic threshold intensities. Since these hormones enhance blood glucose concentrations [Glc](b), this study investigated the [Glc] and [La-](b) responses during incremental tests and the possibility of considering the individual glucose threshold (IGT) and glucose minimum;(Glc(min)) in addition to IAT and La-min(-) in evaluating exercise. A group of 15 male endurance runners ran in four tests on the track 3000 m run (v(3km)); IAT and IGT- 8 x 800 m runs at velocities between 84% and 102% of v(3km); La-min(-) and Glc(min) - after lactic acidosis induced by a 500-m sprint, the subjects ran 8 x 800 m at intensities between 87% and 97% of v(3km); endurance test (ET)- 30 min at the velocity of IAT. Capillary blood (25 mu l) was collected for [La-](b) and [Glc](b) measurements. The TAT and IGT were determined by [La-](b) and [Glc](b) kinetics during the second test. The La-min(-) and Glc(min) were determined considering the lowest [La-] and [Glc](b) during the third test. No differences were observed (P < 0.05) and high correlations were obtained between the velocities at IAT [283 (SD 19) and IGT 281 (SD 21)m. min(-1); r = 0.096; P < 0.001] and between La,, [285 (SD 21)] and Glc(min) [287 (SD 20) m. min(-1) = 0.77; P < 0.05]. During ET, the [La-](b) reached 5.0 (SD 1.1) and 5.3 (SD 1.0) mmol 1(-1) at 20 and 30 min, respectively (P > 0.05). We concluded that for these subjects it was possible to evaluate the aerobic capacity by IGT and Glc(min), as well as by IAT and La-min(-).

EVALUATION of COVERING MATERIALS IN INDIVIDUAL SHELTERS and ITS EFFECTS on PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES and PERFORMANCE of DAIRY CALVES

In Tropical regions, the animal performance is often affected by climate conditions. This study aimed to evaluate covering materials in individual shelters, normally used to house dairy calves, and its influence on the calves physiology and performance. The design used was completely randomized, with a 2x3 factorial arrangement to compare the averages of 5% through the Tukey's test, i.e., both genders-and three types of covering in the shelters (Z - zinc; AC - asbestos cement; and WPAC - white-painted asbestos cement). Parameters evaluated included daily weight gain (DWG), dry matter intake (DMI), feed conversion (FC), rectal temperature (RT), and respiratory frequency (RF). Results showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among males (1.04kg/day) and females (0.74kg/day) for DWG and interaction between gender and treatment (P < 0.05) for zinc covering (0.562kg/day for females and 1.120kg/day for males). Significant differences were also observed in FI of animals housed under shelters with the covering of zinc (48.35kgDM/day for females and 96.91 kgDM/day for males). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the FC and the RT, and there were significant differences (P < 0.05) for RF in the Z treatments (56.9 mov.min(-1)), WPAC (62.2 mov.min(-1)) and FC (70.25 mov.min-1). It was concluded that different covering materials did not affect performance and dry matter intake of dairy calves. However, the animals' physiology of thermoregulation was altered by the different covering materials used in individual shelters.

Copy number variation of individual cattle genomes using next-generation sequencing

Copy number variations (CNVs) affect a wide range of phenotypic traits; however, CNVs in or near segmental duplication regions are often intractable. Using a read depth approach based on next-generation sequencing, we examined genome-wide copy number differences among five taurine (three Angus, one Holstein, and one Hereford) and one indicine (Nelore) cattle. Within mapped chromosomal sequence, we identified 1265 CNV regions comprising similar to 55.6-Mbp sequence-476 of which (similar to 38%) have not previously been reported. We validated this sequence-based CNV call set with array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), quantitative PCR (qPCR), and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), achieving a validation rate of 82% and a false positive rate of 8%. We further estimated absolute copy numbers for genomic segments and annotated genes in each individual. Surveys of the top 25 most variable genes revealed that the Nelore individual had the lowest copy numbers in 13 cases (similar to 52%, chi(2) test; P-value <0.05). In contrast, genes related to pathogen- and parasite-resistance, such as CATHL4 and ULBP17, were highly duplicated in the Nelore individual relative to the taurine cattle, while genes involved in lipid transport and metabolism, including APOL3 and FABP2, were highly duplicated in the beef breeds. These CNV regions also harbor genes like BPIFA2A (BSP30A) and WC1, suggesting that some CNVs may be associated with breed-specific differences in adaptation, health, and production traits. By providing the first individualized cattle CNV and segmental duplication maps and genome-wide gene copy number estimates, we enable future CNV studies into highly duplicated regions in the cattle genome.

Spontaneous eye blink analysis in the normal individual

Purpose: Spontaneous eye blink activity in the primary eye position and its relationship to age and gender were assessed using digital image processing techniques to quantify blink opening and closing time. Methods: One hundred-and-eighty healthy volunteers (90 males and 90 females), divided into the age groups 0-3, 4-12, 13-20, 21-40, 41-60 and ≥60 years old, were evaluated prospectively. They were videotaped digitally in a standard setting and the images were transferred to a personal computer (Macintosh 400) and processed with the iMovie software. Blink opening and closing time were measured at 30 frames/second. The data were then subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The closing time was significantly longer than the opening time for all ages and both genders. Elderly individuals (≥41 years old) and women had significantly longer closing times. Conclusion: Image processing techniques made possible the observation of differences in spontaneous eye blink opening and closing time in relation to age and gender. Copyright © 2005 Taylor & Francis LLC.

Income inequality in Central America, Dominican Republic and Mexico: assessing the importance of individual and household characteristics

Includes bibliography