Conundrum of the Eurasian wild pig Sus scrofa status on the island of Singapore: humanwildlife and environmental conflict

Haridas, S., Diong, C.H., Seet, G., Lee, N.S.L

Nanopowder management and control of plasma parameters in electronegative SiH4 plasmas

Management of nanosize powder particles via control of plasma parameters in a low-pressure SiH4 discharge for silicon microfabrication technologies is considered. The spatial profiles of electron and positive/negative ion number densities, electron temperature, and charge of the fine particles are obtained using a self-consistent fluid model of the electronegative plasmas in the parallel plate reactor geometry. The model accounts for variable powder size and number density, powder-charge distribution, local plasma nonuniformity, as well as UV photodetachment of electrons from the nanoparticles. The relations between the equilibrium discharge state and powder properties and the input power and neutral gas pressure are studied. Methods for controlling the electron temperature and SiH3- anion (here assumed to be the powder precursor) density, and hence the powder growth process, are proposed. It is shown that by controlling the neutral gas pressure, input power, and powder size and density, plasma density profiles with high levels of uniformity can be achieved. Management of powder charge distribution is also possible through control of the external parameters

Changes in muscle-tendon unit length-force characteristics following experimentally induced photothrombotic stroke cannot be explained by changes in muscle belly structure.

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the effects of experimentally induced photothrombotic stroke on structural and mechanical properties of rat m. flexor carpi ulnaris. Methods Two groups of Young-adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were measured: stroke (n = 9) and control (n = 7). Photothrombotic stroke was induced in the forelimb region of the primary sensorimotor cortex. Four weeks later, muscle–tendon unit and muscle belly length–force characteristics of the m. flexor carpi ulnaris, mechanical interaction with the neighbouring m. palmaris longus, the number of sarcomeres in series within muscle fibres, and the physiological cross-sectional area were measured. Results Stroke resulted in higher force and stiffness of the m. flexor carpi ulnaris at optimum muscle–tendon unit length, but only for the passive conditions. Stroke did not alter the length–force characteristics of m. flexor carpi ulnaris muscle belly, morphological characteristics, and the extent of mechanical interaction with m. palmaris longus muscle. Conclusion The higher passive force and passive stiffness at the muscle–tendon unit level in the absence of changes in structural and mechanical characteristics of the muscle belly indicates that the experimentally induced stroke resulted in an increased stiffness of the tendon

A Mark-Recapture Study Of A Dog-Faced Water Snake Cerberus Schneiderii (Colubridae: Homalopsidae) Population In Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore

Chim, C. K., Diong, C. H. (2013): A Mark-Recapture Study Of A Dog-Faced Water Snake Cerberus Schneiderii (Colubridae: Homalopsidae) Population In Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (2): 811-825, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.535309

Biology Education for Social and Sustainable Development

XXII, 406 p.online resource

Emotion and appraisal profiles of the needs for competence and relatedness

10.1080/01973530903058326Basic and Applied Social Psychology313218-22