University of Portsmouth

About: University of Portsmouth is a education organization based out in Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 5452 authors who have published 14256 publications receiving 424346 citations. The organization is also known as: Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Art & Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and the Arts.

Classifying chimpanzee facial expressions using muscle action.

Abstract: The Chimpanzee Facial Action Coding System (ChimpFACS) is an objective, standardized observational tool for measuring facial movement in chimpanzees based on the well-known human Facial Action Coding System (FACS; P. Ekman & W. V. Friesen, 1978). This tool enables direct structural comparisons of facial expressions between humans and chimpanzees in terms of their common underlying musculature. Here the authors provide data on the first application of the ChimpFACS to validate existing categories of chimpanzee facial expressions using discriminant functions analyses. The ChimpFACS validated most existing expression categories (6 of 9) and, where the predicted group memberships were poor, the authors discuss potential problems with ChimpFACS and/or existing categorizations. The authors also report the prototypical movement configurations associated with these 6 expression categories. For all expressions, unique combinations of muscle movements were identified, and these are illustrated as peak intensity prototypical expression configurations. Finally, the authors suggest a potential homology between these prototypical chimpanzee expressions and human expressions based on structural similarities. These results contribute to our understanding of the evolution of emotional communication by suggesting several structural homologies between the facial expressions of chimpanzees and humans and facilitating future research.

Detection and Identification of Fungi Intimately Associated with the Brown Seaweed Fucus serratus

Abstract: The filamentous fungi associated with healthy and decaying Fucus serratus thalli were studied over a 1-year period using isolation methods and molecular techniques such as 28S rRNA gene PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and phylogenetic and real-time PCR analyses. The predominant DGGE bands obtained from healthy algal thalli belonged to the Lindra, Lulworthia, Engyodontium, Sigmoidea/Corollospora complex, and Emericellopsis/Acremonium-like ribotypes. In the culture-based analysis the incidence of recovery was highest for Sigmoidea marina isolates. In general, the environmental sequences retrieved could be matched unambiguously to isolates recovered from the seaweed except for the Emericellopsis/Acremonium-like ribotype, which showed 99% homology with the sequences of four different isolates, including that of Acremonium fuci. To estimate the extent of colonization of A. fuci, we used a TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR assay for intron 3 of the beta-tubulin gene, the probe for which proved to be species specific even when it was used in amplifications with high background concentrations of other eukaryotic DNAs. The A. fuci sequence was detected with both healthy and decaying thalli, but the signal was stronger for the latter. Additional sequence types, representing members from the Dothideomycetes, were recovered from the decaying thallus DNA, which suggested that a change in fungal community structure had occurred. Phylogenetic analysis of these environmental sequences and the sequences of isolates and type species indicated that the environmental sequences were novel in the Dothideomycetes.

Knowledge of aspects of acute care in trainee doctors.

Abstract: Deficiencies in trainees' knowledge, skills, and attitudes have the potential to influence the initial assessment, treatment, and outcome of acutely ill ward patients. Knowledge of basic aspects of acute care were assessed among a group of 185 trainee doctors at six hospitals. Many were unaware of the signs of total airway obstruction, confusing them with those of partial obstruction (pre-registration house officers (PRHOs) 11%, senior house officers (SHOs) 14%) or apnoea (PRHOs 47%, SHOs 26%). Knowledge about the use of non-rebreathing oxygen masks was poor; 23% of trainees could not describe the purpose of the reservoir bag or gave answers that were unclear or incorrect. Seven trainees thought that it was involved in humidification, or carbon dioxide collection or removal. Seventeen per cent of trainees could not quote the maximum deliverable inspired oxygen concentration provided by these masks or gave values below the normal range. Thirty one per cent of trainees thought that the lower end of the normal range for pulse oximetry (S(p)O(2)) was below 95%; nine (5%) believed it to be below 90%. There was also poor knowledge of the factors influencing the function of a pulse oximeter. Similar deficits in knowledge and understanding existed in relation to the normal capillary refill time, minimum hourly urine output, the use of the AVPU scale and the role of blood glucose testing in unconscious adults. Only 22% of PRHOs and 21% of SHOs identified the correct percentage hospital survival for patients who suffer an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Knowledge of aspects of consent was unsatisfactory. It is recommended that all medical schools urgently incorporate training about common aspects of "generic" acute care in their curricula.

The SDSS-IV Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations at Redshift of 0.72 with the DR14 Luminous Red Galaxy Sample

Abstract: The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) Data Release 14 sample includes 80,118 luminous red galaxies (LRGs). By combining these galaxies with the high-redshift tail of the BOSS galaxy sample, we form a sample of LRGs at an effective redshift z = 0.72, covering an effective volume of 0.9 Gpc^3. We account for spurious fluctuations caused by targeting and by redshift failures, which were validated on a set of mock catalogs. This analysis is sufficient to provide a 2.5% measurement of spherically averaged baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), D_v(z = 0.72) = 2377^(+61)_(-59)(r_d/r_(d,fid)) Mpc, at 2.8σ of significance. Together with the recent quasar-based BAO measurement at z = 1.5 and forthcoming emission line galaxy–based measurements, this measurement demonstrates that eBOSS is fulfilling its remit of extending the range of redshifts covered by such measurements, laying the groundwork for forthcoming surveys such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Survey and Euclid.

Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): Optimal Tiling of Dense Surveys with a Multi-Object Spectrograph

Abstract: A heuristic greedy algorithm is developed for efficiently tiling spatially dense redshift surveys. In its first application to the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) redshift survey we find it rapidly improves the spatial uniformity of our data, and naturally corrects for any spatial bias introduced by the 2dF multi-object spectrograph. We make conservative predictions for the final state of the GAMA redshift survey after our final allocation of time, and can be confident that even if worse than typical weather affects our observations, all of our main survey requirements will be met.