411 research outputs found
Exploring the Potential Roles of Biochars on Land Degradation Mitigation
Land degradation was exacerbated and its management was challenged by population growth and global climate change. The impacts of land degradation on food security, ecosystem services and biodiversity become a more serious problem particularly in developing countries. Biochar, based on the current research findings, is capable to amend degraded lands. This paper reviewed relevant biocharproperties and identified the opportunities of its using for recovering deteriorated lands.Biochar was traditionally recognized as a good absorbent, energy source, and its ash was used by farmers to recover soil fertility. Recent findings revealed that application of biochar improved soil water retention, enhanced soil aggregation, decreased soil bulk density and increased soil infiltration. It also increased soil cation exchange capacity, soil pH, mineral nutrients, reduced nutrient leaching, support microbial population and activities, and suppressed the pest. The sorption capacity of biochar to soil and water pollutants such as Pb, Cu,Ni, Cr, Cd,dioxine, atrazine, and concurrently eliminatedthe environmental problems such as hypoxia, eutrophication, and algae bloom, have also been investigated. Investigation on its role to mitigate climate change revealed that biochar is capable in reducing greenhouse gasesemissions such as CO2, N2O, and CH4. All those beneficial effects of biochars were attributed to its high porosity, large surface area and surface charge, high carbon, ash and nutrient content, and its stability to be degraded. Thus, biochar could be potential for ameliorating degraded lands
Ovarian cancer in younger vs older women: a population-based analysis
To compare the clinico-pathologic prognostic factors and survival of younger vs older women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. Demographic, clinico-pathologic, treatment, and surgery information were obtained from patients with ovarian cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program from 1988 to 2001 and analysed using Kaplan–Meier estimates. Of 28 165 patients, 400 were <30 years (very young), 11 601 were 30–60 (young), and 16 164 were >60 (older) years of age. Of the very young, young, and older patients, 261 (65.3%), 4664 (40.2%), and 3643 (22.5%) had stage I–II disease, respectively (P<0.001). Across all stages, very young women had a significant survival advantage over the young and older groups with 5-year disease-specific survival estimates at 78.8% vs 58.8 and 35.3%, respectively (P<0.001). This survival difference between the age groups persists even after adjusting for race, stage, grade, and surgical treatment. Reproductive age (16–40 years) women with stage I–II epithelial ovarian cancer who received uterine-sparing procedures had similar survivals compared to those who underwent standard surgery (93.3% vs 91.5%, P=0.26). Younger women with epithelial ovarian cancer have a survival advantage compared to older patients
Isospin-tracing: A probe of non-equilibrium in central heavy-ion collisions
Four different combinations of Ru and Zr nuclei, both
as projectile and target, were investigated at the same bombarding energy of
400 MeV using a detector. The degree of isospin mixing between
projectile and target nucleons is mapped across a large portion of the phase
space using two different isospin-tracer observables, the number of measured
protons and the yield ratio. The experimental results
show that the global equilibrium is not reached even in the most central
collisions. Quantitative measures of stopping and mixing are extracted from the
data. They are found to exhibit a quite strong sensitivity to the in-medium
(n,n) cross section used in microscopic transport calculations.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 3 figures (ps files), submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Differential directed flow in Au+Au collisions
We present experimental data on directed flow in semi-central Au+Au
collisions at incident energies from 90 to 400 A MeV. For the first time for
this energy domain, the data are presented in a transverse momentum
differential way. We study the first order Fourier coefficient v1 for different
particle species and establish a gradual change of its patterns as a function
of incident energy and for different regions in rapidity.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, 5 eps figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
C (Rapid Communications). Data files available at
http://www-linux.gsi.de/~andronic/fopi/v1.htm
Direct comparison of phase-space distributions of K- and K+ mesons in heavy-ion collisions at SIS energies - evidence for in-medium modifications of kaons ?
The ratio of K- to K+ meson yields has been measured in the systems RuRu at
1.69 A GeV, Ru+Zr at 1.69 A GeV, and Ni+Ni at 1.93 A GeV incident beam kinetic
energy. The yield ratio is observed to vary across the measured phase space.
Relativistic transport-model calculations indicate that the data are best
understood if in-medium modifications of the kaons are taken into account.Comment: 14 pages including 3 figure
Abundance of Delta Resonances in 58Ni+58Ni Collisions between 1 and 2 AGeV
Charged pion spectra measured in 58Ni-58Ni collisions at 1.06, 1.45 and 1.93
AGeV are interpreted in terms of a thermal model including the decay of Delta
resonances. The transverse momentum spectra of pions are well reproduced by
adding the pions originating from the Delta-resonance decay to the component of
thermal pions, deduced from the high transverse momentum part of the pion
spectra. About 10 and 18% of the nucleons are excited to Delta states at
freeze-out for beam energies of 1 and 2 AGeV, respectively.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX with 3 included figures; submitted to Physics Letters
Directed flow in Au+Au, Xe+CsI and Ni+Ni collisions and the nuclear equation of state
We present new experimental data on directed flow in collisions of Au+Au,
Xe+CsI and Ni+Ni at incident energies from 90 to 400A MeV. We study the
centrality and system dependence of integral and differential directed flow for
particles selected according to charge. All the features of the experimental
data are compared with Isospin Quantum Molecular Dynamics (IQMD) model
calculations in an attempt to extract information about the nuclear matter
equation of state (EoS). We show that the combination of rapidity and
transverse momentum analysis of directed flow allow to disentangle various
parametrizations in the model. At 400A MeV, a soft EoS with momentum dependent
interactions is best suited to explain the experimental data in Au+Au and
Xe+CsI, but in case of Ni+Ni the model underpredicts flow for any EoS. At 90A
MeV incident beam energy, none of the IQMD parametrizations studied here is
able to consistently explain the experimental data.Comment: RevTeX, 20 pages, 30 eps figures, accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev. C. Data files available at http://www.gsi.de/~fopiwww/pub
Stopping and Radial Flow in Central 58Ni + 58Ni Collisions between 1 and 2 AGeV
The production of charged pions, protons and deuterons has been studied in
central collisions of 58Ni on 58Ni at incident beam energies of 1.06, 1.45 and
1.93 AGeV. The dependence of transverse-momentum and rapidity spectra on the
beam energy and on the centrality of the collison is presented. It is shown
that the scaling of the mean rapidity shift of protons established for AGS and
SPS energies is valid down to 1 AGeV. The degree of nuclear stopping is
discussed; the IQMD transport model reproduces the measured proton rapidity
spectra for the most central events reasonably well, but does not show any
sensitivity between the soft and the hard equation of state (EoS). A radial
flow analysis, using the midrapidity transverse-momentum spectra, delivers
freeze-out temperatures T and radial flow velocities beta_r which increase with
beam energy up to 2 AGeV; in comparison to existing data of Au on Au over a
large range of energies only beta_r shows a system size dependence
Sideward flow of K+ mesons in Ru+Ru and Ni+Ni reactions near threshold
Experimental data on K+ meson and proton sideward flow measured with the FOPI
detector at SIS/GSI in the reactions Ru+Ru at 1.69 AGeV and Ni+Ni at 1.93 AGeV
are presented. The K+ sideward flow is found to be anti-correlated (correlated)
with the one of protons at low (high) transverse momenta. When compared to the
predictions of a transport model, the data favour the existence of an in-medium
repulsive K+ nucleon potential.Comment: 16 pages Revtex, 3 ps-figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
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