Energy balance in irrigated wheat in the Cerrados Region of central Brazil.

To evaluate the water requirements for Irrigated wheat, a mlcrometeorological study was conducted during the dry seasons of 1982 and 1983 at the Cerrados Agricultural Research Center, Brasilia-DF, BraziL The crop was Irrigated when the soU water potential at 5 cm reached-60 to -7OJIkg. Bowen ratio measurements were made on an hourly basls during the entire crop season, Total amount of water evapotranspired during the crop cycle and the energy balance terms varied year to year due to regional advection; ln 1982,a Iess advective year, the total amount of water evapotranspired was 345 mm, with approximately 80% of the net radlation dlsslpated as latent heat, 13% as a sensible heat and 7% as soU heat after the crop obtalned a Leaf Area lndex (LAI) of 1.5. ln 1983, when advection was greater than 1982, total water evapotranspired Increased to 385mm. The partitloning of energy was similar to 1982 during periods of title or no advecnon, However, during periods of Intense advection, latent heat was greater. In net radlation partitioning. Although regional advection Increased the water used by the crop, Irrigation scheduling based on soíl tensiometers was considered adequate and eflicient due to the low values of the Bowen ratio obtalned. Um estudo núcrometeorológico para avaliar a demanda hídrica do trigo Irrigado foi conduzido nasestações secas de 1982 e 1983 no Centro de Pesquisa Agricola dos Cerrados, Brasilia-DF, Brasil A cultura foi Irrigada quando o potencial de água no solo a 5 cm atinriu -60 a -70 JIkg. Durante todo o ciclo da cultura medidas da razão de Bowen foram feitas numa base horária. A quantidade total de água evapotranspirada durante todo ciclo da cultura e o balanço energético variaram entre os anos devido à advecção regional; em 1982, um ano menos advectivo, a quantidade total de água evapotranspirada foi de 345 mm, sendo 80% da radiação líquida dissipada como calor latente, 13% como calor sensível e 7% como calor do solo após a cultura ter atingido um Índice de Área Foliar (IAF) de 1.5. Em 1983, quando a advecção foi maior que em 1982, a quantidade total de água evapotranspirada aumentou para 385 mm. A partição de energia foi similar à 1982 durante periodos de pouca ou nenhuma advecção. Entretanto durante periodos de Intensa advecção, o calor latente representou a maior parte da radiação líquida. Apesar da advecção regional aumentar o consumo de água da cultura, programação da irrigação baseada em tensiometros foi considerada adequada e eficiente devido aos baixos valores da razão de Bowen obtidos.Nº especial

Energy balance in irrigated wheat in the Cerrados Region of central Brazil.

Um estudo micrometeorológico para avaliar a demanda hídrica do trigo irrigado foi conduzido nas estacões secas de 1982 e 1983 no Centro de Pesquisa Agrícola dos Cerrados, Brasilia-DF, Brasil. A cultura foi irrigada quando o potencial de água no solo a 5 cm atingiu -60 a -70 J/kg.Durante todo o ciclo da cultura medidas da razão de Bowen foram feitas numa base horaria. A quantidade total de água evapotranspirada durante todo ciclo da cultura e o balanco energético variaram entre os anos devido a advecção regional; em 1982, um ano menos advectivo, a quantidade total de água evapotranspirada foi de 345 mm, sendo 80% da radiação liquida dissipada como calor latente, 13% como calor sensível e 7% como calor do solo apos a cultura ter atingido um Índice de Área Foliar (IAF) de 1.5. Em 1983, quando a advecção foi maior que em 1982, a quantidade total de água evapotranspirada aumentou para 385mm. A partição de energia foi similar a 1982 durante períodos de pouca ou nenhuma advecção. Entretanto durante períodos de intensa advecção, o calor latente representou a maior parte da radiação liquida. Apesar da advecção regional aumentar o consumo de água da cultura, programação da irrigação baseada em tensiômetro foi considerada adequada e eficiente devido aos baixos valores da razão de Bowen obtidos

Short communication: Polymorphism of casein cluster genes in Czech local goat breeds

The 4 casein loci were evaluated as haplotypes in 2 dairy goat breeds kept in the Czech Republic. Analysis of 41 White Shorthaired (WSH) trio families and 44 Brown Shorthaired (BSH) trio families revealed 14 and 20 haplotypes, respectively. Various genomic techniques were used to type the casein loci. Twenty-two different combinations of these alleles (casein haplotypes, in the order CSN1S1-CSN2-CSN1S2-CSN3) were found. Only 5 haplotypes in the WSH breed and 6 haplotypes in the BSH breed occurred at frequencies >0.05. For the WSH breed, the most common haplotype was FCFB (0.260), whereas for the BSH breed, the most common haplotype was FCFA (0.217). The information on the haplotype variability in both breeds could be used in breeding programs aimed at preserving biodiversity or selecting animals for specific protein production and cheesemaking

Probabilistic Modeling of Space Shuttle Debris Impact

On Feb 1, 2003, the Shuttle Columbia was lost during its return to Earth. As a result of the conclusion that debris impact caused the damage to the left wing of the Columbia Space Shuttle Vehicle (SSV) during ascent, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommended that an assessment be performed of the debris environment experienced by the SSV during ascent. A flight rationale based on probabilistic assessment is used for the SSV return-to-flight. The assessment entails identifying all potential debris sources, their probable geometric and aerodynamic characteristics, and their potential for impacting and damaging critical Shuttle components. A probabilistic analysis tool, based on the SwRI-developed NESSUS probabilistic analysis software, predicts the probability of impact and damage to the space shuttle wing leading edge and thermal protection system components. Among other parameters, the likelihood of unacceptable damage depends on the time of release (Mach number of the orbiter) and the divot mass as well as the impact velocity and impact angle. A typical result is visualized in the figures below. Probability of impact and damage, as well as the sensitivities thereof with respect to the distribution assumptions, can be computed and visualized at each point on the orbiter or summarized per wing panel or tile zone

Urbanicity and lifestyle risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in rural Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Urban living is associated with unhealthy lifestyles that can increase the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the majority of people live in rural areas, it is still unclear if there is a corresponding increase in unhealthy lifestyles as rural areas adopt urban characteristics. This study examines the distribution of urban characteristics across rural communities in Uganda and their associations with lifestyle risk factors for chronic diseases

Temperature and soil water status effects on radiation use and growth of pearl millet in a semi-arid environment

In semi-arid environments, crops are frequently subjected to a combination of high air temperatures, large atmospheric saturation vapor pressure deficits, high soil temperatures and reduced soil water status. To explore the performance of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides S. and H., cv. CIVT) from panicle initiation to flowering (GS 2) when grown in the field under combinations of these conditions, experiments were conducted in northern Nigeria in three seasons in which daily mean air temperatures during 18 days of this stage averaged 22, 27 and 33°C, and saturation vapor pressure deficits averaged 3.7, 4.0 and 5.2 kPa, respectively. In each experiment, half of the crop was irrigated, while the other half received no water after panicle initiation. For irrigated millet, radiation use efficiency (RUE) did not vary significantly (P = 0.05) for the three experiments (1.7 g MJ−1). RUE of non-irrigated millet was significantly reduced (0.8 g MJ−1) only during the season with the highest temperature. Radiation interception as a function of thermal time was similar in the irrigated and non-irrigated treatments except in the season with the highest temperatures, when radiation interception was reduced about 25% in the non-irrigated relative to the irrigated treatment. Stem extension of non-irrigated millet did not decline relative to irrigated millet, despite the almost complete extraction of plant available water in the upper 30 cm of the soil, except during the season with the highest temperatures, when stem extension rates began to decline as soon as water was withheld. Under high air temperatures and saturation vapor pressure deficits, dry matter accumulation in both irrigated and non-irrigated millet during GS 2 could be reasonably predicted from RUE and radiation interception. However, when high soil temperatures (daily mean at 5 cm of 34°C) occurred in the non-irrigated treatment, both RUE and radiation interception decreased relative to all other treatment

Water uptake by pearl millet in a semiarid environment

Crops during drought may not utilize water at depth. This under-utilization of deep water may result from slow rates of root extension, low root density, or a decline in soil water potential or associated phenomena. The importance of several of these factors on pearlmillet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br., cv. CIVT) wateruptake and growth from panicle initiation to flowering was studied on a sandy soil in northern Nigeria during two dry seasons. Half of the crop was irrigated while the other half received no water after panicle initiation. Soil water content, stomatal conductance and stem extension were measured periodically. A potential-driven wateruptake model, which assumes a static, exponential distribution of roots and couples transpiration to leaf water potentials, described in both seasons the observed pattern and timing of wateruptake, as well as predawn leaf water potential and actual transpiration. As the soil dried, estimated transpiration declined below potential transpiration and modeled and measured predawn leaf water potential declined. There was close agreement between observed and modeled predawn leaf water potential and soil wateruptake. Analysis using the model indicated that decreased wateruptake at depth was attributable to root distribution throughout the soil profile, as well as to low root length density at dept

Study profile: the Durban Diabetes Study (DDS): a platform for chronic disease research.

The Durban Diabetes Study (DDS) is a population-based cross-sectional survey of an urban black population in the eThekwini Municipality (city of Durban) in South Africa. The survey combines health, lifestyle and socioeconomic questionnaire data with standardised biophysical measurements, biomarkers for non-communicable and infectious diseases, and genetic data. Data collection for the study is currently underway and the target sample size is 10 000 participants. The DDS has an established infrastructure for survey fieldwork, data collection and management, sample processing and storage, managed data sharing and consent for re-approaching participants, which can be utilised for further research studies. As such, the DDS represents a rich platform for investigating the distribution, interrelation and aetiology of chronic diseases and their risk factors, which is critical for developing health care policies for disease management and prevention. For data access enquiries please contact the African Partnership for Chronic Disease Research (APCDR) at [email protected] or the corresponding author.The study was supported by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 098051), the African Partnership for Chronic Disease Research (Medical Research Council UK partnership grant number MR/K013491/1), the National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (UK), the Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme (UK), Novo-Nordisk (South Africa), Sanofi-Aventis (South Africa), and MSD Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd (Southern Africa).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cambridge University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/gheg.2015.

Smartphone Apps in the Context of Tinnitus: Systematic Review

Smartphones containing sophisticated high-end hardware and offering high computational capabilities at extremely manageable costs have become mainstream and an integral part of users' lives. Widespread adoption of smartphone devices has encouraged the development of many smartphone applications, resulting in a well-established ecosystem, which is easily discoverable and accessible via respective marketplaces of differing mobile platforms. These smartphone applications are no longer exclusively limited to entertainment purposes but are increasingly established in the scientific and medical field. In the context of tinnitus, the ringing in the ear, these smartphone apps range from relief, management, self-help, all the way to interfacing external sensors to better understand the phenomenon. In this paper, we aim to bring forth the smartphone applications in and around tinnitus. Based on the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically analyze and investigate the current state of smartphone apps, that are directly applied in the context of tinnitus. In particular, we explore Google Scholar, CiteSeerX, Microsoft Academics, Semantic Scholar for the identification of scientific contributions. Additionally, we search and explore Google’s Play and Apple's App Stores to identify relevant smartphone apps and their respective properties. This review work gives (1) an up-to-date overview of existing apps, and (2) lists and discusses scientific literature pertaining to the smartphone apps used within the context of tinnitus