Real-time in situ monitoring of dust particle growth in a low-pressure nanodusty plasma based on laser-induced photodetachment

Particulate matter air pollution in the form of ultrafine dust is a growing global concern. In this Letter, we will use a nanodusty Ar/HMDSO plasma as a model system for a heavily contaminated gas and we present the development of a technique for real-time in situ measurements of the dust particle size. The method is based on laser-induced photodetachment of bound electrons from the surface of dust particles. These photo-released electrons are measured as an increase in the free electron density of the plasma using microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy. We show that instead of reconstructing the entire resonance profile, the temporal response of a single microwave frequency was enough to perform the measurements. More specifically, the decay timescale of the cavity response can be interpreted as the re-charging timescale of the dust particles. Then, using a stochastic model, this timescale can be modeled, which eventually retrieves the dust particle size. We found good agreement between the predicted dust particle size and the average dust particle size obtained from ex situ scanning electron microscopy measurements. This method allows for the real-time monitoring of the dust particle size and a controlled production of nanometer-scale dust particles, which gives opportunities both for fundamental dusty plasma physics and models, as well as for applications in monitoring ultrafine dust air pollution.</p

Presenting in Virtual Worlds: Towards an Architecture for a 3D Presenter explaining 2D-Presented Information

Entertainment, education and training are changing because of multi-party interaction technology. In the past we have seen the introduction of embodied agents and robots that take the role of a museum guide, a news presenter, a teacher, a receptionist, or someone who is trying to sell you insurances, houses or tickets. In all these cases the embodied agent needs to explain and describe. In this paper we contribute the design of a 3D virtual presenter that uses different output channels to present and explain. Speech and animation (posture, pointing and involuntary movements) are among these channels. The behavior is scripted and synchronized with the display of a 2D presentation with associated text and regions that can be pointed at (sheets, drawings, and paintings). In this paper the emphasis is on the interaction between 3D presenter and the 2D presentation

Corrigendum to “Pollen-based paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic change at Lake Ohrid (south-eastern Europe) during the past 500 ka” published in Biogeosciences, 13, 1423–1437, 2016

In this corrigendum we report an updated pollen record from the Lake Ohrid DEEP site spanning the past 500 ka whereby we have reprocessed and re-analyzed 104 samples affected by chemical procedure problems that occurred in one palynological laboratory. Firstly, these samples were affected by the use of wrong containers, causing in- adequate settling of particles at the set centrifuging speed. Secondly, HCl and HF treatments were combined without the prescribed intermediate centrifuging and decanting steps. The inaccuracy in the protocol resulted in the loss of smaller pollen grains and in the overrepresentation of bisaccate ones in most of the re-analyzed samples. We therefore provide an updated set of figures with the new data and have revised the description of the results, discussion and conclusions re- ported in Sadori et al. (2016) where necessary. We stress that the majority of the original results and conclusions remain valid, while the records’ reliability and resolution have improved as 12 samples that had been omitted in the original study because of low count sums are now included in the revised dataset (Sadori et al., 2018)

Modern pollen-vegetation relationships along a steep temperature gradient in the Tropical Andes of Ecuador

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Cambridge University Press via the DOI in this record.The characterization of modern pollen rain assemblages along environmental gradients is an essential prerequisite for reliable interpretations of fossil pollen records. In this study, we identify pollen-vegetation relationships using modern pollen rain assemblages in moss polsters (n = 13) and lake sediment surface samples (n = 11) along a steep temperature gradient of 7°C (3100–4200 m above sea level) on the western Andean Cordillera, Ecuador. The pollen rain is correlated to vascular plant abundance data recorded in vegetation relevées (n = 13). Results show that pollen spectra from both moss polsters and sediment surface samples reflect changes in species composition along the temperature gradient, despite overrepresentation of upper montane forest taxa in the latter. Estimated pollen transport distance for a lake (Laguna Llaviucu) situated in a steep upper montane forest valley is 1–2 km, while a lake (Laguna Pallcacocha) in the páramo captures pollen input from a distance of up to 10–40 km. Weinmannia spp., Podocarpus spp., and Hedyosmum sp. are indicators of local upper montane forest vegetation, while Phlegmariurus spp. and Plantago spp. are indicators for local páramo vegetation.Earth and Life Science council (ALW) of the Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Researc

Bacteriocin production of the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus KS400

In the last years, the use of probiotics, including Lactobacillus species, has received much attention to prevent and treat vaginal disorders. These species have been described as having the ability to colonize the epithelial surface and produce antimicrobial metabolites that are able to control the remaining vaginal microflora. This study aimed to identify and characterize, for the first time, a bacteriocin natively produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus KS400 (probiotic strain from Gynoflor®-Medinova AG, Switzerland) and its antimicrobial activity against relevant urogenital pathogens. After organic acids and hydrogen peroxide neutralization in the fermented Lactobacillus acidophilus KS400 culture medium, bacteriocin activity was tested against the indicator microorganism Lactobacillus delbrueckii ATCC9649. The fermentation of Lactobacillus acidophilus KS400 for bacteriocin production was carried out in batch mode, and its antimicrobial activity, optical density and pH were monitored. After production and extraction, the bacteriocin molecular weight was estimated by electrophoresis and tested against vaginal pathogenic microorganisms. As described for other bacteriocins, batch fermentation profiles indicated that bacteriocin production occurs during the exponential growth phase of the lactobacilli, and declines during their stationary growth phase. The molecular weight of the bacteriocin is approximately 7.5 kDa. The bacteriocin containing protein extract was shown to inhibit the growth of Gardnerella vaginalis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the indicator strain Lactobacillus delbrueckii ATCC9649. We conclude that L. acidophilus KS400 produces bacteriocin with antimicrobial activity against relevant urogenital pathogens.Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007491; Medinovainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Candidiasis, Bacterial Vaginosis, Trichomoniasis and Other Vaginal Conditions Affecting the Vulva

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Public service media in the age of SVoDs: A comparative study of PSM strategic responses in Flanders, Italy and the UK

Netflix and other transnational online video streaming services are disrupting long-established arrangements in national television systems around the world. In this paper we analyse how public service media (PSM) organisations (key purveyors of societal goals in broadcasting) are responding to the fast-growing popularity of these new services. Drawing on Philip Napoli’s framework for analysing strategic responses by established media to threats of competitive displacement by new media, we find that the three PSM organisations in our study exhibit commonalities. Their responses have tended to follow a particular evolution starting with different levels of complacency and resistance before settling into more coherent strategies revolving around efforts to differentiate PSM offerings, while also diversifying into activities, primarily across new platforms, that mimic SVoD approaches and probe production collaborations. Beyond these similarities, however, we also find that a range of contextual factors (including path-dependency, the role and status of PSM in each country, the degree of additional government support, cultural factors and market size) help explain nuances in strategic responses between our three cases

Stuifmeelreductie door hommels bij paprika in kassen : pilotproef

Stuifmeel van paprika veroorzaakt veel allergische klachten. Het is een typisch voorbeeld van een beroepsallergie. De klachten zijn jeuk, niezen en loopneuzen, terwijl ook een trend naar een verminderde longfunctie is geconstateerd. In eerder onderzoek verminderde de inzet van honingbijen in de kas de blootstelling van de medewerkers aan het stuifmeel. Dat resulteerde in minder klachten. Nu is onderzocht of dit weghalen ook door hommels kan worden gedaan. Dit onderzoek is gefinancierd door het Productschap Tuinbouw (PT) en het ministerie van Landbouw Natuurbeheer en Voedselkwaliteit (LNV). Syngenta Bioline Bees sponsorde de hommels. De proef is uitgevoerd op het paprikabedrijf 4 evergreen in Steenbergen (NB). Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat het weghalen van stuifmeel zelfs beter gaat met hommels dan met honingbijen. Tien volkjes per hectare is voldoende

Effects of Dementia-Care Mapping on Residents and Staff of Care Homes:A Pragmatic Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of dementia-care mapping (DCM) for institutionalised people with dementia has been demonstrated in an explanatory cluster-randomised controlled trial (cRCT) with two DCM researchers carrying out the DCM intervention. In order to be able to inform daily practice, we studied DCM effectiveness in a pragmatic cRCT involving a wide range of care homes with trained nursing staff carrying out the intervention. METHODS: Dementia special care units were randomly assigned to DCM or usual care. Nurses from the intervention care homes received DCM training and conducted the 4-months DCM-intervention twice during the study. The primary outcome was agitation, measured with the Cohen-Mansfield agitation inventory (CMAI). The secondary outcomes included residents’ neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) and quality of life, and staff stress and job satisfaction. The nursing staff made all measurements at baseline and two follow-ups at 4-month intervals. We used linear mixed-effect models to test treatment and time effects. RESULTS: 34 units from 11 care homes, including 434 residents and 382 nursing staff members, were randomly assigned. Ten nurses from the intervention units completed the basic and advanced DCM training. Intention-to-treat analysis showed no statistically significant effect on the CMAI (mean difference between groups 2·4, 95% CI −2·7 to 7·6; p = 0·34). More NPSs were reported in the intervention group than in usual care (p = 0·02). Intervention staff reported fewer negative and more positive emotional reactions during work (p = 0·02). There were no other significant effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our pragmatic findings did not confirm the effect on the primary outcome of agitation in the explanatory study. Perhaps the variability of the extent of implementation of DCM may explain the lack of effect. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trials Registry NTR2314