30,613 research outputs found
Enhancing productivity of water under variable climate
Crop productionMaizeClimateRainFamersDecision making
Enhancing productivity of water under variable climate
Irrigated farmingProductivityCrop productionMaizeSimulation modelsClimateForecasting
Near Infrared Spectroscopy Describes Physiologic Payback Associated With Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption in Healthy Controls and Children With Complex Congenital Heart Disease
Exercise creates a physiologic burden with recovery from such effort crucial to adaptation. Excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) refers to the bodyâs increased metabolic need after work. This investigation was designed to determine the role of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in the description of exercise recovery in healthy controls (NL) and children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Subjects were recruited with exercise testing performed to exhaustion. Exercise time (EXT), heart rate (HR), and oxygen consumption (VO2) were measured. Four-site NIRS (brain, kidney, deltoid, and vastus lateralis) were measured during exercise and into recovery to establish trends. Fifty individuals were recruited for each group (NL = 26 boys and 24 girls; CHD = 33 boys and 17 girls). Significant differences existed between EXT, VO2, and peak HR (P \u3c 0.01). NIRS values were examined at four distinct intervals: rest, peak work, and 2 and 5 min after exercise. Significant cerebral hyperemia was seen in children with CHD post exercise when compared to normal individuals in whom redistribution patterns were directed to somatic muscles. These identified trends support an immediate compensation of organ systems to re-establish homeostasis in peripheral beds through enhanced perfusion. Noninvasive NIRS monitoring helps delineate patterns of redistribution associated with EPOC in healthy adolescents and children with CHD
Systematic review of hospital readmissions in stroke patients
Background Previous evidence on factors and causes of readmissions associated with high-impact users of stroke is scanty. The aim of the study was to investigate common causes and pattern of short- and long-term readmissions stroke patients by conducting a systematic review of studies using hospital administrative data. Common risk factors associated with the change of readmission rate were also examined. Methods The literature search was conducted from 15th February to 15th March 2016 using various databases, such as Medline, Embase, and Web of Science. Results There were total of 24 studies (n=2,126,617) included in the review. Only 4 studies assessed causes of readmissions in stroke patients with the follow-up duration from 30 days to 5 years. Common causes of readmissions in majority of the studies were recurrent stroke, infections and cardiac conditions. Common patient-related risk factors associated with increased readmission rate were age and history of coronary heart disease, heart failure, renal disease, respiratory disease, peripheral arterial disease and diabetes. Among stroke-related factors, length of stay of index stroke admission was associated with increased readmission rate, followed by bowel incontinence, feeding tube and urinary catheter. Conclusion Although risk factors and common causes of readmission were identified, but none of the previous studies investigated causes and their sequence of readmissions among high-impact stroke users
Irrigation management research in Sri Lanka: A review of selected literature. Occasional paper. Occasional paper
Irrigation management / Research / Irrigation systems / Rehabilitation / Financing / Resource management / Policy / Farmer participation / Farmer-agency interactions / Sri Lanka
Remediation of Contaminated Soils by Solvent Flushing
Solvent flushing is a potential technique for remediating a waste disposal/spill site contaminated with organic chemicals. This technique involves the injection of a solvent mixture (e.g., water plus alcohols) that enhances contaminant solubility, reduces the retardation factor, and increases the release rates of the contaminants. A simulation model is developed to predict contaminant elution curves during solvent flushing for the case of oneâdimensional, steady flow through a contaminated medium. Column experiments are conducted with a Eustis fine sand that is initially equilibrated with an aqueous naphthalene solution, and then eluted with different methanolâwater mixtures to remove the naphthalene. The model simulations, based on parameter values estimated from literature data, agree well with the measured elution profiles. Solvent flushing experiments, where the soil was initially equilibrated with a solution of naphthalene and anthracene, show that compounds with different retardation factors are separated at low cosolvent contents, while coelution of the compounds occurs at higher contents. In general, the smaller the retardation factor in water and the higher the cosolvent fraction, the faster the contaminant is recovered. The presence of nonequilibrium conditions, soil heterogeneity, and type of cosolvent will influence the time required to recover the contaminant.\u
Radio halos in merging clusters of galaxies
We present the preliminary results of 235 MHz, 327 MHz and 610 MHz
observations of the galaxy cluster A3562 in the core of the Shapley
Concentration. The purpose of these observations, carried out with the Giant
Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT, Pune, India) was to study the radio halo
located at the centre of A3562 and determine the shape of its radio spectrum at
low frequencies, in order to understand the origin of this source. In the
framework of the re--acceleration model, the preliminary analysis of the halo
spectrum suggests that we are observing a young source (few yrs) at the
beginning of the re--acceleration phase.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Proceedings of IAU Colloquium 195 - Outskirts of
Galaxy Clusters: intense life in the suburb
Effect of simultaneous application of field and pressure on magnetic transitions in LaCaMnO
We study combined effect of hydrostatic pressure and magnetic field on the
magnetization of LaCaMnO. We do not observe any
significant effect of pressure on the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition.
However, pressure asymmetrically affects the thermal hysteresis across the
ferro-antiferromagnetic first-order transition, which has strong field
dependence. Though the supercooling (T*) and superheating (T**) temperatures
decrease and the value of magnetization at 5K (M) increases with
pressure, T* and M shows abrupt changes in tiny pressure of 0.68kbar.
These anomalies enhance with field. In 7Tesla field, transition to
antiferromagnetic phase disappears in 0.68kbar and M show significant
increase. Thereafter, increase in pressure up to 10kbar has no noticeable
effect on the magnetization
Magnetic and electron transport properties of the rare-earth cobaltates, La0.7-xLnxCa0.3CoO3 (Ln = Pr, Nd, Gd and Dy) : A case of phase separation
Magnetic and electrical properties of four series of rare earth cobaltates of
the formula La0.7-xLnxCa0.3CoO3 with Ln = Pr, Nd, Gd and Dy have been
investigated. Compositions close to x = 0.0 contain large ferromagnetic
clusters or domains, and show Brillouin-like behaviour of the field-cooled DC
magnetization data with fairly high ferromagnetic Tc values, besides low
electrical resistivities with near-zero temperature coefficients. The
zero-field-cooled data generally show a non-monotonic behaviour with a peak at
a temperatures slightly lower than Tc. The near x = 0.0 compositions show a
prominent peak corresponding to the Tc in the AC-susceptibility data. The
ferromagnetic Tc varies linearly with x or the average radius of the A-site
cations, (rA). With increase in x or decrease in (rA), the magnetization value
at any given temperature decreases markedly and the AC-susceptibility
measurements show a prominent transition arising from small magnetic clusters
with some characteristics of a spin-glass. Electrical resistivity increases
with increase in x, showed a significant increase around a critical value of x
or (rA), at which composition the small clusters also begin to dominate. These
properties can be understood in terms of a phase separation scenario wherein
large magnetic clusters give way to smaller ones with increase in x, with both
types of clusters being present in certain compositions. The changes in
magnetic and electrical properties occur parallely since the large
ferromagnetic clusters are hole-rich and the small clusters are hole-poor.
Variable-range hopping seems to occur at low temperatures in these cobaltates.Comment: 23 pages including figure
Electronic phase separation in the rare earth manganates, (La1-xLnx)0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (Ln = Nd, Gd and Y)
All the three series of manganates showsaturation magnetization
characteristic of ferromagnetism, with the ferromagnetic Tc decreasing with
increasing in x up to a critical value of x, xc (xc = 0.6, 0.3, 0.2
respectively for Nd, Gd, Y). For x > xc, the magnetic moments are considerably
smaller showing a small increase around TM, the value of TM decreasing slightly
with increase in x or decrease in . The ferromagnetic compositions (x xc)
show insulator-metal (IM) transitions, while the compositions with x > xc are
insulating. The magnetic and electrical resistivity behavior of these
manganates is consistent with the occurrence of phase separation in the
compositions around xc, corresponding to a critical average radius of the
A-site cation, , of 1.18 A. Both Tc and TIM increase linearly when < rA
> > or x xc as expected of a homogenous ferromagnetic phase. Both Tc
and TM decrease linearly with the A-site cation size disorder at the A-site as
measured by the variance s2. Thus, an increase in s2 favors the insulating AFM
state. Percolative conduction is observed in the compositions with > <
rAc >. Electron transport properties in the insulating regime for x > xc
conforms to the variable range hopping mechanism. More interestingly, when x >
xc, the real part of dielectric constant (e') reaches a high value (104-106) at
ordinary temperatures dropping to a very small (~500) value below a certain
temperature, the value of which decreases with decreasing frequency.Comment: 27 pages; 11 figures, Submitted to J.Phys:Condens Matte
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