508 research outputs found
N, P and K budgets for crop rotations on nine organic farms in the UK
On organic farms, where the importation of materials to build/maintain soil fertility is restricted, it is important that a balance between inputs and outputs of nutrients is achieved to ensure both short-term productivity and long-term sustainability. This paper considers different approaches to nutrient budgeting on organic farms and evaluates the sources of bias in the measurements and/or estimates of the nutrient inputs and outputs. The paper collates 88 nutrient budgets compiled at the farm scale in 9 temperate countries. All the nitrogen (N) budgets showed an N surplus (average 83.2 kg N ha-1 year-1). The efficiency of N use, defined as outputs/inputs, was highest (0.9) and lowest (0.2) in arable and beef systems respectively. The phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) budgets showed both surpluses and deficits (average 3.6 kg P ha-1 year-1, 14.2 kg K ha-1 year-1) with horticultural systems showing large surpluses resulting from purchased manure. The estimation of N fixation and quantities of nutrients in purchased manures may introduce significant errors in nutrient budgets. Overall, the data illustrate the diversity of management systems in place on organic farms, and suggest that used together with soil analysis, nutrient budgets are a useful tool for improving the long-term sustainability of organic systems
Instantons and radial excitations in attractive Bose-Einstein condensates
Imaginary- and real-time versions of an equation for the condensate density
are presented which describe dynamics and decay of any spherical Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) within the mean field appraoch. We obtain quantized energies
of collective finite amplitude radial oscillations and exact numerical
instanton solutions which describe quantum tunneling from both the metastable
and radially excited states of the BEC of 7Li atoms. The mass parameter for the
radial motion is found different from the gaussian value assumed hitherto, but
the effect of this difference on decay exponents is small. The collective
breathing states form slightly compressed harmonic spectrum, n=4 state lying
lower than the second Bogolyubov (small amplitude) mode. The decay of these
states, if excited, may simulate a shorter than true lifetime of the metastable
state. By scaling arguments, results extend to other attractive BEC-s.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Self-Trapping, Quantum Tunneling and Decay Rates for a Bose Gas with Attractive Nonlocal Interaction
We study the Bose-Einstein condensation for a cloud of Li atoms with
attractive nonlocal (finite-range) interaction in a harmonic trap. In addition
to the low-density metastable branch, that is present also in the case of local
interaction, a new stable branch appears at higher densities. For a large
number of atoms, the size of the cloud in the stable high-density branch is
independent of the trap size and the atoms are in a macroscopic quantum
self-trapped configuration. We analyze the macroscopic quantum tunneling
between the low-density metastable branch and the high-density one by using the
istanton technique. Moreover we consider the decay rate of the Bose condensate
due to inelastic two- and three-body collisions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Post-operative bilateral adrenal haemorrhage: A case report
AbstractINTRODUCTIONBilateral adrenal haemorrhage is a rare, but serious, illness carrying an estimated 15% mortality.1,2 The majority of cases occur in patients with acute, stressful illness, however the exact mechanism underlying adrenal haemorrhage remains unclear. This medical emergency carries significant diagnostic difficulty4 with non-specific clinical symptoms and variations in electrolyte abnormalities. Timely treatment is important as it prevents both the acute and long-term sequelae of adrenal failure.PRESENTATION OF CASEThis report describes a medical emergency in a surgical patient following emergency surgery for intra-abdominal sepsis. The patient reported non-specific symptoms of confusion, mild pyrexia and vague abdominal pain during the post-operative phase, with subtle electrolyte abnormalities and a low serum cortisol suggestive of adrenal crisis. Timely medical treatment, with intravenous hydrocortisone and intensive monitoring, and appropriate medical follow-up with addition of long-term fludrocortisone resulted in a satisfactory outcome.DISCUSSIONThis report describes a potentially life-threatening complication of intra-abdominal sepsis with adrenal crisis secondary to bilateral adrenal haemorrhage. In particular, this case highlights the diagnostic difficulty in such surgical patients due to vague symptoms and, in this case, the presence of a presentation variant with acute hyponatraemia and normal potassium.CONCLUSIONThis case highlights the importance of awareness of both the symptoms and signs and variation in electrolyte profile when assessing surgical patients post-operatively. In addition, this case highlights the benefit of early recognition and initiation of treatment and the importance of follow-up as long-term medical management is often required to prevent further relapse
A material characterization and embodied energy study of novel clay-alginate composite aerogels
There is a growing incentive within the construction industry to design low energy buildings which incorporate increased levels of insulation whilst also encouraging the use of âgreenâ materials which have a low environmental impact and can contribute positively to sustainable building strategies. Silica aerogels have received an increasing amount of attention in recent years as a contemporary insulation material, but their wide-spread use is currently hindered by high costs and their high embodied energy. This research project explores the development of a composite insulation material proposed as an alternative to silica aerogel, which consists of natural components including clay and a biopolymer obtained from seaweed known as alginate. Prototype specimens have been developed and characterized in terms of their mechanical properties and microstructure allowing comparisons to be made between five alginate types, each obtained from a different seaweed source. Whilst all of the composites tested offered an improvement over the control sample, the results also demonstrated that the type of alginate used has a significant influence on the compressive strength and modulus values of the resulting composite materials. An analysis of the production process additionally demonstrated that the freeze-drying element can have a significant impact on both the environment and financial costs of producing such a material
Gut microbiota disturbance during helminth infection: can it affect cognition and behaviour of children?
Background: Bidirectional signalling between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract is regulated at neural, hormonal, and immunological levels. Recent studies have shown that helminth infections can alter the normal gut microbiota. Studies have also shown that the gut microbiota is instrumental in the normal development, maturation and function of the brain. The pathophysiological pathways by which helminth infections contribute to altered cognitive function remain poorly understood.
Discussion: We put forward the hypothesis that gastrointestinal infections with parasitic worms, such as helminths, induce an imbalance of the gut-brain axis, which, in turn, can detrimentally manifest in brain development. Factors supporting this hypothesis are: 1) research focusing on intelligence and school performance in school-aged children has shown helminth infections to be associated with cognitive impairment, 2) disturbances in gut microbiota have been shown to be associated with important cognitive developmental effects, and 3) helminth infections have been shown to alter the gut microbiota structure. Evidence on the complex interactions between extrinsic (parasite) and intrinsic (host-derived) factors has been synthesised and discussed.
Summary: While evidence in favour of the helminth-gut microbiota-central nervous system hypothesis is circumstantial, it would be unwise to rule it out as a possible mechanism by which gastrointestinal helminth infections induce childhood cognitive morbidity. Further empirical studies are necessary to test an indirect effect of helminth infections on the modulation of mood and behaviour through its effects on the gut microbiota
Mean-field analysis of collapsing and exploding Bose-Einstein condensates
The dynamics of collapsing and exploding trapped Bose-Einstein condensat es
caused by a sudden switch of interactions from repulsive to attractive a re
studied by numerically integrating the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with atomic
loss for an axially symmetric trap. We investigate the decay rate of
condensates and the phenomena of bursts and jets of atoms, and compare our
results with those of the experiments performed by E. A. Donley {\it et al.}
[Nature {\bf 412}, 295 (2001)]. Our study suggests that the condensate decay
and the burst production is due to local intermittent implosions in the
condensate, and that atomic clouds of bursts and jets are coherent. We also
predict nonlinear pattern formation caused by the density instability of
attractive condensates.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, axi-symmetric results are adde
Critical number of atoms for attractive Bose-Einstein condensates with cylindrically symmetrical traps
We calculated, within the Gross-Pitaevskii formalism, the critical number of
atoms for Bose-Einstein condensates with two-body attractive interactions in
cylindrical traps with different frequency ratios. In particular, by using the
trap geometries considered by the JILA group [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4211
(2001)], we show that the theoretical maximum critical numbers are given
approximately by . Our results also show that, by
exchanging the frequencies and , the geometry with
favors the condensation of larger number of particles.
We also simulate the time evolution of the condensate when changing the ground
state from to using a 200ms ramp. A conjecture on higher order
nonlinear effects is also added in our analysis with an experimental proposal
to determine its signal and strength.Comment: (4 pages, 2 figures) To appear in Physical Review
Stability of Attractive Bose-Einstein Condensates in a Periodic Potential
Using a standing light wave trap, a stable quasi-one-dimensional attractive
dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensate can be realized. In a mean-field
approximation, this phenomenon is modeled by the cubic nonlinear Schr\"odinger
equation with attractive nonlinearity and an elliptic function potential of
which a standing light wave is a special case. New families of stationary
solutions are presented. Some of these solutions have neither an analog in the
linear Schr\"odinger equation nor in the integrable nonlinear Schr\"odinger
equation. Their stability is examined using analytic and numerical methods.
Trivial-phase solutions are experimentally stable provided they have nodes and
their density is localized in the troughs of the potential. Stable
time-periodic solutions are also examined.Comment: 12 pages, 18 figure
Finite temperature scaling theory for the collapse of Bose-Einstein condensate
We show how to apply the scaling theory in an inhomogeneous system like
harmonically trapped Bose condensate at finite temperatures. We calculate the
temperature dependence of the critical number of particles by a scaling theory
within the Hartree-Fock approximation and find that there is a dramatic
increase in the critical number of particles as the condensation point is
approached.Comment: Published online [6 pages, 3 figures
- âŠ