Fundamental solution method applied to time evolution of two energy level systems: exact and adiabatic limit results

A method of fundamental solutions has been used to investigate transitions in two energy level systems with no level crossing in a real time. Compact formulas for transition probabilities have been found in their exact form as well as in their adiabatic limit. No interference effects resulting from many level complex crossings as announced by Joye, Mileti and Pfister (Phys. Rev. {\bf A44} 4280 (1991)) have been detected in either case. It is argued that these results of this work are incorrect. However, some effects of Berry's phases are confirmed.Comment: LaTeX2e, 23 pages, 8 EPS figures. Style correcte

Exploring the variability among smallholder farms in the banana-based farming systems in Bukoba district, Northwest Tanzania

A study was conducted in the high and low rainfall zones in the banana-based farming system in Bukoba district, Tanzania, to explore the variability among household characteristics and farm productivity. Approaches used included a participatory rural appraisal, rapid system characterization, surveys and detailed farm monitoring in two villages, one from each zone in 2005 through 2006. Based on a wealth-ranking, four household resource groups with decreasing wealth were identified: Resource group 1 > Resource group 2 > Resource group 3 > Resource group 4, distinguished by domestic assets, livestock ownership and labour relations. Through principal component analysis using additional variables defined by research team, three Functional Resource Groups from among the four Resource groups at each rainfall zone were identified distinguished by: soil fertility management, food security and farm and off-farm income as important indicators of variability. Further detailed monitoring over 14 months (from March, 2006 through May, 2007) in at least three households from each functional resource group showed that N, P and K balances among land use types and farms were driven by levels of organic inputs used and were also related to wealth and dependence on off-farm activities. However, all households were net food buyers, implying food insecurity. In addition, off-farm activities and off-farm income were important livelihood survival strategie

Projective representation of k-Galilei group

The projective representations of k-Galilei group G_k are found by contracting the relevant representations of k-Poincare group. The projective multiplier is found. It is shown that it is not possible to replace the projective representations of G_k by vector representations of some its extension.Comment: 15 pages Latex fil

Representation Theory of Quantized Poincare Algebra. Tensor Operators and Their Application to One-Partical Systems

A representation theory of the quantized Poincar\'e ($\kappa$-Poincar\'e) algebra (QPA) is developed. We show that the representations of this algebra are closely connected with the representations of the non-deformed Poincar\'e algebra. A theory of tensor operators for QPA is considered in detail. Necessary and sufficient conditions are found in order for scalars to be invariants. Covariant components of the four-momenta and the Pauli-Lubanski vector are explicitly constructed.These results are used for the construction of some q-relativistic equations. The Wigner-Eckart theorem for QPA is proven.Comment: 18 page

The Concepts and quantification of yield gap using boundary lines. A review

Context: The potential yield of crops is not usually realised on farms, the yield gap is an obstacle to global food security. Methods are needed to diagnose yield gaps and to select interventions. One method is the boundary line model (BL) in which the upper bound of a plot of yield against a potentially limiting factor is viewed as the most efficient response to that factor and anything below it has a yield gap caused by inefficiency of other factors. If many factors are studied, the cause of the yield gap can be identified (yield gap analysis, YGA). Though BL is agronomically interpretable, its estimation and statistical inference are not straightforward and there is no standard method to fit the BL to data. Objective: We review the different methods used to fit the BL, their strengths and weaknesses, interpretation, factors influencing the choice of method and its impact on YGA. Methods: We searched for articles that used BL for YGA, using the Boolean “Boundary*” AND “Yield gap*” in the Web of Science. Results: Methods used to fit BL include heuristic methods (visual, Binning, BOLIDES and quantile regression) and statistical methods (Makowski quantile regression, censored bivariate model and stochastic frontier analysis). In contrast to heuristic methods, which in practice require ad hoc decisions such as the quantile value in the quantile regression method, statistical methods are typically objective, repeatable and offer a consistent basis to quantify parameter uncertainty. Nonetheless, most studies utilise heuristic methods (87% of the articles reviewed), which are easier to use. The BL is usually interpreted in terms of the law of the minimum or law of optimum to explain yield gaps. Although these models are useful, their interpretation holds only if the modelled upper limit represents a boundary and not just a particular realization of the upper tail of the distribution of yield. Therefore, exploratory and inferential analysis tools that inform boundary characteristics in data are required if BL is to be useful for YGA. Conclusions and implications: Statistical methods to fit BL models consistently and repeatably, with quantified uncertainty and evidence that there is a boundary limiting the observed yields, are required if BL methods are to be used for YGA. Practical and conceptual obstacles to the use of statistical methods are required. Bayesian methods should also be explored to extend further the capacity to interpret uncertainty of BL models

Effects of graded levels of dietary pomegranate peel on methane and nitrogen losses, and metabolic and health indicators in dairy cows

This study aimed to quantify the effects of dietary inclusion of tannin-rich pomegranate peel (PP) on intake, methane and nitrogen (N) losses, and metabolic and health indicators in dairy cows. Four multiparous, late-lactating Brown Swiss dairy cows (796 kg body weight; 29 kg/d of energy corrected milk yield) were randomly allocated to 3 treatments in a randomized cyclic change-over design with 3 periods, each comprising 14 d of adaptation, 7 d of milk, urine, and feces collection, and 2 d of methane measurements. Treatments were formulated using PP that replaced on a dry matter (DM) basis 0% (control), 5%, and 10% of the basal mixed ration (BMR) consisting of corn and grass silage, alfalfa, and concentrate. Gaseous exchange of the cows was determined in open-circuit respiration chambers. Blood samples were collected on d 15 of each period. Individual feed intake as well as feces and urine excretion were quantified, and representative samples were collected for analyses of nutrients and phenol composition. Milk was analyzed for concentrations of fat, protein, lactose, milk urea N, and fatty acids. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity in milk and plasma were determined. In serum, the concentrations of urea and bilirubin as well as the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and γ-glutamyl transferase were measured. The data was subjected to ANOVA with the Mixed procedure of SAS, with treatment and period as fixed and animal as random effects. The PP and BMR contained 218 and 3.5 g total extractable tannins per kg DM, respectively, and thereof 203 and 3.3 g hydrolyzable tannins. Total DM intake, energy corrected milk, and methane emission (total, yield, and intensity) were not affected by PP supplementation. The proportions of C18:2 n-6 and C18:3 n-3 in milk increased linearly as the amount of PP increased in the diet. Milk urea N, blood urea N, and urinary N excretion decreased linearly with the increase in dietary PP content. Total phenols and antioxidant capacity in milk and plasma were not affected by the inclusion of PP. The activity of ALT increased in a linear manner with the inclusion of PP. In conclusion, replacing up to 10% of BMR with PP improved milk fatty acid composition and alleviated metabolic and environmental N load. However, the elevated serum ALT activity indicates an onset of liver stress even at 5% PP, requiring the development of adaptation protocols for safe inclusion of PP in ruminant diets

Delayed chronic intracranial subdural hematoma complicating resection of a tanycytic thoracic ependymoma

Background: To demonstrate that the diagnosis of an intracranial subdural hematoma should be considered for patients presenting with acute or delayed symptoms of intracranial pathology following resection of a spinal tumor. Case Description: We present a case of a 57-year-old woman found to have a chronic subdural hematoma 1 month following resection of a thoracic extramedullary ependymoma. Evacuation of the hematoma through a burr hole relieved the presenting symptoms and signs. Resolution of the hematoma was confirmed with a computed tomography (CT) scan. Conclusion: Headache and other symptoms not referable to spinal pathology should be regarded as a warning sign of an intracranial subdural hematoma, and a CT scan of the head should be obtained. The mechanism of the development of the hematoma may be related to the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid with subsequent intracranial hypotension leading to an expanding subdural space and hemorrhage

Exploration of data for analysis using boundary line methodology

The boundary line model has been proposed for interpretation of the plot of a biological response (such as crop yield) against a potentially-limiting variable from observations in a large set of scenarios across which other factors show uncontrolled variation. Under this model the upper bound of the distribution of data represents the limiting effect of the potential factor on the response. Methods have been proposed to fit this model, but we propose that an initial exploratory data analysis step is needed to evaluate evidence that (i) the model is plausible and (ii) that any limiting upper bound is exhibited by the data set (which could, in principle, not include any cases where the factor is limiting). We propose a statistic based on the density of observations in upper sections of early convex hull peels of the data plot. We evaluate this approach using various data sets, some of which have been used for boundary line analysis in previous studies

The calcium-free form of atorvastatin inhibits amyloid-β(1–42) aggregation in vitro

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the presence of extraneuronal amyloid plaques composed of amyloid-beta (A beta) fibrillar aggregates in the brains of patients. In mouse models, it has previously been shown that atorvastatin (Ator), a cholesterol-lowering drug, has some reducing effect on the production of cerebral A beta. A meta-analysis on humans showed moderate effects in the short term but no improvement in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale behavioral test. Here, we explore a potential direct effect of Ator on A beta 42 aggregation. Using NMR-based monomer consumption assays and CD spectroscopy, we observed a promoting effect of Ator in its original form (Ator-calcium) on A beta 42 aggregation, as expected because of the presence of calcium ions. The effect was reversed when applying a CaCO3- based calcium ion scavenging method, which was validated by the aforementioned methods as well as thioflavin-T fluorescence assays and transmission electron microscopy. We found that the aggregation was inhibited significantly when the concentration of calcium-free Ator exceeded that of A beta by at least a factor of 2. The H-1-N-15 heteronuclear single quantum correlation and saturation-transfer difference NMR data suggest that calcium-free Ator exerts its effect through interaction with the (KLVF19)-K-16 binding site on the A beta peptide via its aromatic rings as well as hydroxyl and methyl groups. On the other hand, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that the increasing concentration of Ator is necessary for the inhibition of the conformational transition of A beta from an alpha-helix-dominant to a beta-sheet-dominant structure