University of Saskatchewan

About: University of Saskatchewan is a education organization based out in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 25021 authors who have published 52579 publications receiving 1483049 citations. The organization is also known as: USask.

A decade of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN): scientific achievements, new techniques and future directions

Abstract: The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) has been operating as an international co-operative organization for over 10 years. The network has now grown so that the fields of view of its 18 radars cover the majority of the northern and southern hemisphere polar ionospheres. SuperDARN has been successful in addressing a wide range of scientific questions concerning processes in the magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, and mesosphere, as well as general plasma physics questions. We commence this paper with a historical introduction to SuperDARN. Following this, we review the science performed by SuperDARN over the last 10 years covering the areas of ionospheric convection, field-aligned currents, magnetic reconnection, substorms, MHD waves, the neutral atmosphere, and E-region ionospheric irregularities. In addition, we provide an up-to-date description of the current network, as well as the analysis techniques available for use with the data from the radars. We conclude the paper with a discussion of the future of SuperDARN, its expansion, and new science opportunities.

A full genome search in multiple sclerosis

Abstract: The aetiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is uncertain. There is strong circumstantial evidence to indicate it is an autoimmune complex trait. Risks for first degree relatives are increased some 20 fold over the general population. Twin studies have shown monozygotic concordance rates of 25-30% compared to 4% for dizygotic twins and siblings. Studies of adoptees and half sibs show that familial risk is determined by genes, but environmental factors strongly influence observed geographic differences. Studies of candidate genes have been largely unrewarding. We report a genome search using 257 microsatellite markers with average spacing of 15.2 cM in 100 sibling pairs (Table 1, data set 1 - DS1). A locus of lambda>3 was excluded from 88% of the genome. Five loci with maximum lod scores (MLS) of >1 were identified on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 11 and X. Two additional data sets containing 44 (Table 1, DS2) and 78 sib pairs (Table 1, DS3) respectively, were used to further evaluate the HLA region on 6p21 and a locus on chromosome 5 with an MLS of 4.24. Markers within 6p21 gave MLS of 0.65 (non-significant, NS). However, D6S461, just outside the HLA region, showed significant evidence for linkage disequilibrium by the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT), in all three data sets (for DS1 chi2 = 10.8, adjusted P < 0.01)(DS2 and DS3 chi2 = 10.9, P < 0.0005), suggesting a modest susceptibility locus in this region. On chromosome 5p results from all three data sets (222 sib pairs) yielded a multipoint MLS of 1.6. The results support genetic epidemiological evidence that several genes interact epistatically to determine heritable susceptibility.

Analysing Service Quality in the Hospitality Industry Using the SERVQUAL Model

Abstract: This study reports an application in the hospitality industry of the SERVQUAL model developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry. Although originally developed for application within the financial services sector, the model is designed to measure those components of service that generate satisfaction within five dimensions. This study identified the existence of gaps between clients' and management perceptions of attributes of the hotel, and between client expectation and perception of the services offered. It is argued that the existence of these gaps is a source of dissatisfaction with services provided. Factor analysis identified five dimensions explaining 78 per cent of variance, but these differed from the SERVQUA L model.

The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

Abstract: The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.