Nitrate leaching from arable crop rotations in organic farming

Nitrate leaching from crop rotations for organic grain production were investigated in a field experiment on different soil types in Denmark from 1997 to 2002. Three experimental factors were included in the experiment in a factorial design: 1) proportion of grass-clover and pulses in the rotation, 2) cover crop (with and without), and 3) manure (with and without). Two four-course rotations were compared. They had one year of grass-clover as a green manure crop, either followed by spring wheat or by winter wheat. The nitrate leaching was measured using ceramic suction cells. The nitrate leaching did not differ between the rotations, as a change in leaching following the grass-clover was compensated by a reverse effect in the grain crops. Use of cover crops reduced N leaching by 23 to 38% at crop rotation level with the highest reduction on the coarse sandy soil. Simulation of N leaching using the FASSET model showed that a practice of using part of the summer period in the grass-clover as a bare fallow to control couch grass could increase leaching substantially, in particular on the sandy soil

Sensitivity to hydrocarbons and cytochrome P4501A enzyme activity in Arctic marine birds and waterfowl

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017The Arctic is host to a taxonomically diverse group of birds, including species of conservation and subsistence importance that spend many months of their annual cycle in the region. With prospects for oil and gas resource development and increases in vessel traffic in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, arctic birds could be valuable bioindicators to monitor contaminants and specifically hydrocarbons from crude oil. Using liver cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) activity, I measured levels of hydrocarbon exposure in three bird species of subsistence importance: king eiders (Somateria spectabilis), common eiders (Somateria mollissima), and greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons). Over the course of three years, I collected liver samples during spring and fall hunts near Utqiaġvik (formally Barrow) and validated methods for both direct-take and opportunistic liver sampling. Enzyme activity results show significant differences in CYP1A activity levels among species, seasons, and years. Except birds collected during fall 2014, when significantly high enzyme activity was observed in all sampled species, all other collections resulted in median activity levels similar to those reported in other sea duck species in Alaska from un-oiled or non-industrialized habitats. I also used species-specific hepatocyte culture in a broader selection of arctic marine birds and waterfowl candidate bioindicators to assess and compare species CYP1A activity responses as a measure of sensitivity to hydrocarbons. Cytochrome P4501A results from hepatocyte cultures dosed with positive control reference reagents and Alaska North Slope crude oil showed differences in species responses. Based on sensitivity results, I recommend the common eider and common murre (Uria aalge) as bioindicators for use in CYP1A monitoring due to their consistent and measureable responses in our experiments. However, additional species are promising candidates (e.g., tufted puffin; Fratercula cirrhata) but further testing is needed. This is the first study of reference hydrocarbon exposure and comparative laboratory assessment of CYP1A inducing compounds for arctic marine birds and waterfowl and these results form the basis for hydrocarbon monitoring programs and risk assessments

Why Continuing Education in eHealth

Abstract Continuing Education in health informatic

Loop integration results using numerical extrapolation for a non-scalar integral

Loop integration results have been obtained using numerical integration and extrapolation. An extrapolation to the limit is performed with respect to a parameter in the integrand which tends to zero. Results are given for a non-scalar four-point diagram. Extensions to accommodate loop integration by existing integration packages are also discussed. These include: using previously generated partitions of the domain and roundoff error guards.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revised, contribution to ACAT03 (Dec. 2003

Open-Label, Multi-Dose, Pilot Safety Study of Injection of OnabotulinumtoxinA Toward the Otic Ganglion for the Treatment of Intractable Chronic Cluster Headache

BACKGROUND: The otic ganglion (OG) provides parasympathetic innervation to the cerebral circulation and cranial structures and may be involved in the pathophysiology of trigeminal autonomic headaches. This structure has never been targeted in any headache disorder. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety of injecting onabotulinumtoxin A (BTA) toward the OG in 10 patients with intractable chronic cluster headache and to collect efficacy data. METHODS: A total of 10 patients with chronic cluster headache were enrolled in this open-label, multi-dose pilot safety study. All patients were recruited and treated on an out-patient basis at St Olav's University Hospital (Norway). In 5 patients each, the OG was the injection target with 12.5 IU of BTA or 25 IU, respectively. The primary outcome measure was adverse events (AEs) and the main secondary outcome was the number of attacks per week measured at baseline and in the second month following injection. RESULTS: For the primary endpoint, we analyzed data for all 10 patients. There were a total of 17 AEs in 6 of the 10 patients. All AEs were considered mild and disappeared by the end of follow-up. The median number of attacks per week at baseline was 17.0 [7.8 to 25.8] vs 14.0 [7.3 to 20.0] in the second month following injection; difference: 3 (95%CI: -0.3 to 7.9), P = .063. CONCLUSIONS: Injection with BTA toward the OG appears to be safe. We did not find a statistically significant reduction in the number of attacks per week at month 2 after injection compared to the baseline. This study suggests that the OG is not an important target for the treatment of chronic cluster headache. A future study employing more precise targeting of the OG may be indicated

The intensity paradox:A systematic review and meta‐analysis of its impact on the cardiorespiratory fitness of older adults

Aim: The present systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to compare the effect of moderate‐ versus high‐intensity aerobic exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in older adults, taking into account the volume of exercise completed. Methods: The databases MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and CENTRAL (Cochrane Library) were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers extracted data and assessed bias. Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis software calculated overall effect size, intensity differences, and performed meta‐regression analyses using pre‐to‐post intervention or change scores of peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak). The review included 23 RCTs with 1332 older adults (intervention group: n = 932; control group: n = 400), divided into moderate‐intensity (435 older adults) and high‐intensity (476 older adults) groups. Results: Meta‐regression analysis showed a moderate, but not significant, relationship between exercise intensity and improvements in V̇O2peak after accounting for the completed exercise volume (β = 0.31, 95% CI = [−0.04; 0.67]). Additionally, studies comparing moderate‐ versus high‐intensity revealed a small, but not significant, effect in favor of high‐intensity (Hedges' g = 0.20, 95% CI = [−0.02; 0.41]). Finally, no significant differences in V̇O2peak improvements were found across exercise groups employing various methods, modalities, and intensity monitoring strategies. Conclusion: Findings challenge the notion that high‐intensity exercise is inherently superior and indicate that regular aerobic exercise, irrespective of the specific approach and intensity, provides the primary benefits to CRF in older adults. Future RCTs should prioritize valid and reliable methodologies for monitoring and reporting exercise volume and adherence among older adults

Spontaneous and deliberate future thinking: A dual process account

© 2019 Springer Nature.This is the final published version of an article published in Psychological Research, licensed under a Creative Commons Attri-bution 4.0 International License. Available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01262-7.In this article, we address an apparent paradox in the literature on mental time travel and mind-wandering: How is it possible that future thinking is both constructive, yet often experienced as occurring spontaneously? We identify and describe two ‘routes’ whereby episodic future thoughts are brought to consciousness, with each of the ‘routes’ being associated with separable cognitive processes and functions. Voluntary future thinking relies on controlled, deliberate and slow cognitive processing. The other, termed involuntary or spontaneous future thinking, relies on automatic processes that allows ‘fully-fledged’ episodic future thoughts to freely come to mind, often triggered by internal or external cues. To unravel the paradox, we propose that the majority of spontaneous future thoughts are ‘pre-made’ (i.e., each spontaneous future thought is a re-iteration of a previously constructed future event), and therefore based on simple, well-understood, memory processes. We also propose that the pre-made hypothesis explains why spontaneous future thoughts occur rapidly, are similar to involuntary memories, and predominantly about upcoming tasks and goals. We also raise the possibility that spontaneous future thinking is the default mode of imagining the future. This dual process approach complements and extends standard theoretical approaches that emphasise constructive simulation, and outlines novel opportunities for researchers examining voluntary and spontaneous forms of future thinking.Peer reviewe

Topological crystalline insulator states in Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se

Topological insulators are a novel class of quantum materials in which time-reversal symmetry, relativistic (spin-orbit) effects and an inverted band structure result in electronic metallic states on the surfaces of bulk crystals. These helical states exhibit a Dirac-like energy dispersion across the bulk bandgap, and they are topologically protected. Recent theoretical proposals have suggested the existence of topological crystalline insulators, a novel class of topological insulators in which crystalline symmetry replaces the role of time-reversal symmetry in topological protection [1,2]. In this study, we show that the narrow-gap semiconductor Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se is a topological crystalline insulator for x=0.23. Temperature-dependent magnetotransport measurements and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrate that the material undergoes a temperature-driven topological phase transition from a trivial insulator to a topological crystalline insulator. These experimental findings add a new class to the family of topological insulators. We expect these results to be the beginning of both a considerable body of additional research on topological crystalline insulators as well as detailed studies of topological phase transitions.Comment: v2: published revised manuscript (6 pages, 3 figures) and supplementary information (5 pages, 8 figures

Fun, influence and competence-a mixed methods study of prerequisites for high school students' participation in physical education

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