Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares

We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations (e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011

The Plasma Environment of Comets

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138863/1/rog199129s2976.pd

Weight of preterm newborns during the first twelve weeks of life

A longitudinal and prospective study was carried out at two state-operated maternity hospitals in Belo Horizonte during 1996 in order to assess the weight of preterm appropriate-for-gestational-age newborns during the first twelve weeks of life. Two hundred and sixty appropriate-for-gestational-age preterm infants with birth weight <2500 g were evaluated weekly. The infants were divided into groups based on birth weight at 250-g intervals. Using weight means, somatic growth curves were constructed and adjusted to Count's model. Absolute (g/day) and relative (g kg-1 day-1) velocity curves were obtained from a derivative of this model. The growth curve was characterized by weight loss during the 1st week (4-6 days) ranging from 5.9 to 13.3% (the greater the percentage, the lower the birth weight), recovery of birth weight within 17 and 21 days, and increasingly higher rates of weight gain after the 3rd week. These rates were proportional to birth weight when expressed as g/day (the lowest and the highest birth weight neonates gained 15.9 and 30.1 g/day, respectively). However, if expressed as g kg-1 day-1, the rates were inversely proportional to birth weight (during the 3rd week, the lowest and the highest weight newborns gained 18.0 and 11.5 g kg-1 day-1, respectively). During the 12th week the rates were similar for all groups (7.5 to 10.2 g kg-1 day-1). The relative velocity accurately reflects weight gain of preterm infants who are appropriate for gestational age and, in the present study, it was inversely proportional to birth weight, with a peak during the 3rd week of life, and a homogeneous behavior during the 12th week for all weight groups

Utilización de compost agotado de champiñón como capa de coberturas en nuevos ciclos de producción Using spent mushroom substrate as casing layers in new growing cycles

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el comportamiento agronómico de seis mezclas de cobertura, elaboradas a partir de sustrato postcultivo del champiñón Agaricus bisporus, en nuevos ciclos de cultivo. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron la viabilidad de la reintroducción del sustrato en nuevos ciclos de cultivo, ya sea como material de base único, si se somete a un proceso de lavado para eliminar sales solubles, o bien mezclado con otros materiales de baja conductividad, como es el caso de la turba rubia o la fibra de coco. Se destacan los altos valores de eficiencia biológica registrados, que llegaron hasta los 100 kg kg-1 de compost, similares a los proporcionados por los testigos, y los altos valores relativos observados (con respecto a los testigos) en el contenido en materia seca de los carpóforos cosechados con algunas de las nuevas coberturas elaboradas. Esta reutilización del compost constituye una alternativa interesante, con vistas a reemplazar a las tierras y a los sustratos orgánicos utilizados habitualmente como cobertura, con la doble ventaja de disminuir los costos de elaboración y el impacto ambiental.<br>The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic behaviour of six mixtures of casing, prepared from spent mushroom substrate (SMS), in new production cycles of Agaricus bisporus. The results obtained showed the feasibility of reuse of the SMS in new cultivation cycles when used alone by submitting it to a washing process to remove soluble salts, or mixed with other materials of low conductivity, such as Sphagnum peat or coconut fiber pith. The high values of biological efficiency recorded up to 100 kg kg-1 compost, similar to that of the controls, and the same high values observed in the dry matter content of the mushrooms harvested with some of the new casing layers prepared must be highlighted. The suggested use for SMS is an important alternative to consider, in order to replace soils and other organic substrates typically used as casing, with the added advantages of lowering the production costs and decreasing the environmental impact

Wild harvest : Distribution and diversity of wild food plants in rice ecosystems of Northeast Thailand

Rice fields provide not only a staple food but are also bio-diverse and multi-functional ecosystems. Wild food plants are important elements of biodiversity in rice fields and are critical components to the subsistence of poor farmers. The spatial and seasonal distribution of wild food plants were analysed across different sub-systems occurring within paddy ecosystems in two adjacent rice farming villages in Kalasin, Northeast Thailand. Data were collected in 102 sampling sites corresponding to seven sub-systems including tree rows, mounds, field margins, shelters, ponds, pond margins and levees. Frequency of occurrence and absolute abundance were quantified for each species in the two seasons of two years, and data on uses of wild food plant species were collected through focus group discussions. A total of 42 species from 28 botanical families were reported, and one third of these have been classified as weeds of rice by other authors. Results show that species abundance, frequency of occurrence and diversity varied seasonally and spatially within paddy rice ecosystems. Higher diversity indexes were observed in the monsoon in most sub-systems. The most diverse sub-systems in the monsoon were shelters, mounds and pond margins, and tree rows and mounds in the dry season. Field margins, ponds and levees presented lower diversity, but are habitat of aquatic species important for the local diet, such as Ipomoea aquatica and Marsilea crenata. The herbs Lobelia sp. and Glinus oppositifolius, classified as rice weeds, were most abundant species in the dry season and frequently consumed. Leucaena leucocephala, of which the roots, leaves and fruits are commonly consumed as vegetable, was the most abundant tree in most sub-systems. More than half of the species were specific to one or two sub-systems due to particular niche requirements. Three quarters of wild food plant species had additional uses besides food; with ten different types of use and multiple use categories occurring in the different sub-systems. This study highlights that the development of more productive lowland rice systems may jeopardize the diversity of wild food plant species in the rice landscape, which is important for the food security of the rural poor.</p