Estudio sobre la orientacion de surcos en la siembra de frijol en los municipios de San Gil y Villanueva (Santander)

Thirty bean lots, belonging to 28 farmers, were monitored in the municipalities of San Gil and Villanueva. Short interviews were conducted with the farmers to determine why they use certain types of furrows and their perception of erosion processes. Lots were divided into 3 groups: furrows down the slope, furrows across the slope, and inclined furrows. Results indicated that farmers who plant across the slope or with inclined furrows try to avoid or reduce soil erosion, leaching of fertilizers, and crop damage, and manage soil moisture. Those farmers planting down the slope try to make cultural practices easier. There was no significant difference among the groups of farmers as to the perception of erosion. Most consider that frequent plowing adversely affects the soil, but deem it necessary before each sowing. Sustainable crop management of recently cleared land is uncommon among farmers in the region. (CIAT

An Evidence-Based Intervention to Improve Vaccination Rates for Seasonal Influenza Among Registered Nurses

Executive Summary An Evidence-Based Intervention to Improve Vaccination Rates for Seasonal Influenza Among Registered Nurses Problem Seasonal influenza continues to cause the hospitalizations and deaths of tens of thousands every year in the U.S. (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 2008). Vaccination of healthcare workers for influenza has been recommended for more than 30 years (Willis & Wortley, 2007) and reports of transmission of influenza by registered nurses (RNs) to patients are well documented. In spite of these facts, RN vaccination rates remain below the recommended target of 90% (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). The evidence suggests that RNs who refuse influenza vaccination are less knowledgeable about influenza, the risks of the vaccine, side effects, and vaccine efficacy, than those who are vaccinated (Clark et al., 2009). Mandatory vaccination policies are becoming more common as efforts to improve rates voluntarily have failed. Purpose This project\u27s purpose was to evaluate if an educational intervention on influenza and its risks, while dispelling common myths and misconceptions of influenza vaccines, would improve the rate of RN vaccination. The Health Belief Model\u27s (Champion, 1984; Champion & Skinner, 2008; Glanz, Rimer, & Lewis, 2002) conceptual framework informed and guided the project. Goal The goal for this project was to improve RN vaccination rates for seasonal influenza, leading ultimately to decreased hospitalizations and mortality from influenza. Objective This project\u27s primary objective was to develop and implement an evidence based educational intervention providing information to RNs on influenza\u27s risks, vaccine efficacy and safety, while attempting to dispel myths and misconceptions commonly held by RNs who refuse seasonal influenza vaccination. Plan Over a two-week period in November 2013, presentations on influenza, its risks, and the safety and efficacy of vaccines, were provided at a large, urban medical center, reporting RN vaccination rates of 40%. A convenience sample of 57 RNs attended the presentations. Each participant\u27s pre-intervention vaccination status was then compared to his or her vaccination status following the intervention. Non-parametric and correlational tests were utilized to determine if vaccination rates improved following the intervention and if any relationships that might affect vaccination status could be identified. Outcomes and Results Vaccination rates increased only slightly following intervention, and the change was not significant. There were some associations noted with age and race/ethnicity and vaccination status that were identified. Results suggest that education alone is not sufficient to effect a positive change in vaccination. Further study is recommended in order to determine what, if any, combination of interventions might improve RN voluntary acceptance of vaccination, as mandatory healthcare worker vaccination policies are increasingly implemented across the country

Two-Loop QCD Corrections to the Heavy-to-Light Quark Decay

We present an analytic expression for the two-loop QCD corrections to the decay process b -> u W^*, where b and u are a massive and massless quark, respectively, while W^* is an off-shell charged weak boson. Since the W-boson can subsequently decay in a lepton anti-neutrino pair, the results of this paper are a first step towards a fully analytic computation of differential distributions for the semileptonic decay of a b-quark. The latter partonic process plays a crucial role in the study of inclusive semileptonic charmless decays of B-mesons. The three independent form factors characterizing the b W u vertex are provided in form of a Laurent series in (d-4), where d is the space-time dimension. The coefficients in the series are expressed in terms of Harmonic Polylogarithms of maximal weight 4, and are functions of the invariant mass of the leptonic decay products of the W-boson.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures, References added, version published on JHE

Estrategias de mejoramiento de frijol para un sistema asociado con maiz, en el Valle Sagrado, Cusco-Peru

The improvement strategy of climbing bean in Cusco should take into account the importance of maize as a crop. In a recent study in 2 maize-growing communities of Valle Sagrado, 75 and 88 percent of the farmers considered beans as the main crop; however, only 57 and 22 percent of the maize-growing area was planted to beans. Furthermore, farmers usually plant beans at low densities, partly due to the high degree of competition with maize. This practice causes low bean yields (300-500 kg/ha). Considering these data, and to take advantage of the large areas planted to maize in Valle Sagrado and other areas, the improvement strategy has consisted in developing bean lines apt for associated cropping with maize. The new lines allow maize to maintain its yield level, while increasing bean production/ha. Using this strategy and on the basis of previous evaluations, 15 promising bean lines were selected at the Taray Exptl. Station for the 1988/89 cropping season. Of these, outstanding lines were ZAV 8382 (1354 kg beans and 7667 kg maize/ha), ZAV 8397 (1354 kg beans and 7395 kg maize/ha), and ZAV 8398 (1052 kg beans and 8156 kg maize/ha), compared with the local check Amarillo Gigante (1350 kg beans and 4500 kg maize/ha). The local check, due to its IVb growth habit (very aggressive), reduced maize yields significantly; the new lines, however, overcome this disadvantage, all being of growth habit IVa (less aggressive). (AS- CIAT

Continuous-wave phase-sensitive parametric image amplification

We study experimentally parametric amplification in the continuous regime using a transverse-degenerate type-II Optical Parametric Oscillator operated below threshold. We demonstrate that this device is able to amplify either in the phase insensitive or phase sensitive way first a single mode beam, then a multimode image. Furthermore the total intensities of the amplified image projected on the signal and idler polarizations are shown to be correlated at the quantum level.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Journal of Modern Optics, Special Issue on Quantum Imagin

'Cell or Not to Cell' that is the question : for intervertebral disc regeneration?

Low back pain, strongly associated with intervertebral disc degeneration, is one of the most prevalent health problems in the western world today. Current treatments have been directed toward alleviating patient symptoms but have been shown to accelerate degenerative changes in adjacent discs. New approaches in tissue engineering have provided a variety of treatment options including the delivery of regenerative cells, either alone or together with hydrogel scaffolds in order to restore/maintain disc biomechanics whilst simultaneously regenerating the matrix. This review paper discusses the use of cellular and a cellular therapeutic strategies for IVD degeneration with an emphasis on the importance of tailoring the treatment strategy with stage of degeneration, thus offering insight into the future clinical options for IVD regeneration

Assessment of the contribution of groundwater discharges to rivers using monthly flow statistics and flow seasonality

Groundwater discharge is believed to dominate dry season flows in perennial river systems and to sustain aquatic biodiversity. River flow statistics, extracted from the SPATSIM modelling system, were used to estimate the contribution of groundwater to river flow regimes. The flow statistics were compared for the principal aquifer types (based on major geological formations) in South Africa. This analysis focused on seasonal variation in flows rather than the annual totals or Baseflow Index. Groundwater discharge is expected to reduce flow variability and sustain flows, making flow concentrations lower than rainfall concentrations. Catchments dominated by carbonates have the greatest proportion of baseflow (37%), followed by basement complex (31%) and extrusive aquifer types (31%). The weak relationships between river flow indexes (particularly the Baseflow Index, Coefficient of Variation and Hydrological Index) and the seasonality or concentration statistics imply that catchment storage characteristics and other non-climatic factors play an important role in flow regulation. The geographic distribution of total flow concentrations differs markedly from rainfall concentrations, further evidence that non-climatic factors are important determinants of flow regimes. Karoo dykes and sills, extrusives and unconsolidated deposits are under-represented and the TMG sub-type, carbonates and basement complex and younger granites are over-represented among catchments with evenly distributed baseflows. The Baseflow Index and groundwater-fed baseflow are ecologically meaningful variables but lack clear thresholds that correspond with ecologically important changes in river flow regimes, for example perennial versus seasonal flow. Flow concentrations and percentage zero flows are useful and potentially ecologically important variables and should be tested as predictors of the aquatic and riparian biodiversity of river systems at a range of scales.Keywords: river flow statistics, baseflow, flow concentration, principal aquifer types, groundwater discharg

Parametric Self-Oscillation via Resonantly Enhanced Multiwave Mixing

We demonstrate an efficient nonlinear process in which Stokes and anti-Stokes components are generated spontaneously in a Raman-like, near resonant media driven by low power counter-propagating fields. Oscillation of this kind does not require optical cavity and can be viewed as a spontaneous formation of atomic coherence grating