Wie wirken "effektive Mikroorganismen" auf EM-Bokashi in der Bananenproduktion (Musa ssp.)?

In Costa Rica, ‘effective microorganisms’ (EM) are used to produce organic fertiliser in the form of Bokashi. This study aimed at investigating the effects of EM addition on the decomposition of banana residues during Bokashi production in comparison to different non-EM control variants (Bokashi produced with: W= water, M= molasses as an EM additive, EMst= sterilized EM). Furthermore, the effects of the above mentioned Bokashi variants on the growth of young banana plants and their effects on the secondary root growth of adult banana plants were evaluated. In comparison to non-EM controls, no increasing effects of EM on the N-mineralization of banana material were observed. All nutrient concentrations were similar for all treatments as well as the weight loss of approximately 77.9 %. The ergosterol concentration was significantly highest in EM Bokashi (77 µg g-1 dry soil), whereas it was lowest in EMst (29 µg g-1 dry soil). Application of all Bokashi variants significantly increased shoot growth of young banana plants under greenhouse conditions compared to a control grown in unamended soil. EM Bokashi and Bokashi produced with molasses significantly decreased the number of root nematodes under greenhouse conditions if compared to the control (nematodes per 100 g: C = 254; W = 143; EMst = 143; M = 67; EM = 38). Furthermore, EM Bokashi increased secondary root growth of adult banana plants in the field (186.7 g) compared to non-composted fresh banana leaves (134.6 g) and a control without mulch application (147 g)

Temperature dependence of chemical and biophysical rate processes: Phenomenological approach to deviations from Arrhenius law

Arrhenius plots, which are used to represent the effects of temperature on the rates of chemical and biophysical processes and on various transport phenomena in materials science, may exhibit deviations from linearity. Account of curvature is provided here by a formula which involves a deformation of the exponential function, of the kind recently encountered in treatments of non-extensivity in statistical mechanics. We present here examples on diverse topics – respiration rates of plants, speed of gliding of bacteria, quantum mechanical tunneling in a chemical reaction – illustrating the variety of possible applications and the additional insight that can be gained

Arterial stiffness and Vitamin D levels: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

CONTEXT: The importance of vitamin D for bone health has long been acknowledged. Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D can also play a role in reducing the risk of several other diseases, including cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D) is an independent cross-sectional correlate of central arterial stiffness in a normative aging study population. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis. SUBJECTS: We studied 1228 healthy volunteers (50% males; age, 70\ub112 yr) of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and 25-OH D levels. RESULTS: We found a significant inverse association between PWV and 25-OH D levels (adjusted r2=0.27; \u3b2=-0.43; P=0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, season of blood draw, estimated glomerular filtration rate, physical activity level, cardiovascular risk factors score (smoking, visceral obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes), calcium/vitamin D supplementation, serum calcium, and PTH levels, the association between PWV and 25-OH D levels was only slightly reduced and remained statistically significant (adjusted r2=0.34; \u3b2=-0.34; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D levels are inversely associated with increased arterial stiffness in a normative aging population, irrespective of traditional risk factor burden. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of this association and to test the hypothesis that vitamin D supplementation can reduce arterial stiffness

Proposing new variables for the identification of strategic groups in franchising

The identification of strategic groups in the Spanish franchising area is the main aim of this study. The authors have added some new strategic variables (not used before) to the study and have classified franchisors between sectors and distribution strategy. The results reveal the existence of four perfectly differentiated strategic groups (types of franchisors). One of the major implications of this study is that the variables that build a strategic group vary depending on the respective sector the network operates in and its distribution strategy. This fact indicates that including sector and distribution strategy is absolutely necessary to achieve good classifications of franchisor type

Protective Efficacy of Menthol Propylene Glycol Carbonate Compared to N, N-diethyl-Methylbenzamide Against Mosquito Bites in Northern Tanzania.

The reduction of malaria parasite transmission by preventing human-vector contact is critical in lowering disease transmission and its outcomes. This underscores the need for effective and long lasting arthropod/insect repellents. Despite the reduction in malaria transmission and outcomes in Tanzania, personal protection against mosquito bites is still not well investigated. This study sought to determine the efficacy of menthol propylene glycol carbonate (MR08), Ocimum suave as compared to the gold standard repellent N, N-diethyl-methylbenzamide (DEET), either as a single dose or in combination (blend), both in the laboratory and in the field against Anopheles gambiae s.l and Culex quinquefasciatus. In the laboratory evaluations, repellents were applied on one arm while the other arm of the same individual was treated with a base cream. Each arm was separately exposed in cages with unfed female mosquitoes. Repellents were evaluated either as a single dose or as a blend. Efficacy of each repellent was determined by the number of mosquitoes that landed and fed on treated arms as compared to the control or among them. In the field, evaluations were performed by human landing catches at hourly intervals from 18:00  hr to 01:00  hr. A total of 2,442 mosquitoes were collected during field evaluations, of which 2,376 (97.30%) were An. gambiae s.l while 66 (2.70%) were Cx. quinquefaciatus. MR08 and DEET had comparatively similar protective efficacy ranging from 92% to 100 for both single compound and blends. These findings indicate that MR08 has a similar protective efficacy as DEET for personal protection outside bed nets when used singly and in blends. Because of the personal protection provided by MR08, DEET and blends as topical applicants in laboratory and field situations, these findings suggest that, these repellents could be used efficiently in the community to complement existing tools. Overall, Cx. quinquefasciatus were significantly prevented from blood feeding compared to An. gambiae s.l. The incorporation of these topical repellents for protection against insect bites can be of additional value in the absence or presence of IRS and ITNs coverage. However, a combination of both the physical (bed nets) and the repellent should be used in an integrated manner for maximum protection, especially before going to bed. Additional research is needed to develop repellents with longer duration of protection

Midgut microbiota of the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae and Interactions with plasmodium falciparum Infection

The susceptibility of Anopheles mosquitoes to Plasmodium infections relies on complex interactions between the insect vector and the malaria parasite. A number of studies have shown that the mosquito innate immune responses play an important role in controlling the malaria infection and that the strength of parasite clearance is under genetic control, but little is known about the influence of environmental factors on the transmission success. We present here evidence that the composition of the vector gut microbiota is one of the major components that determine the outcome of mosquito infections. A. gambiae mosquitoes collected in natural breeding sites from Cameroon were experimentally challenged with a wild P. falciparum isolate, and their gut bacterial content was submitted for pyrosequencing analysis. The meta-taxogenomic approach revealed a broader richness of the midgut bacterial flora than previously described. Unexpectedly, the majority of bacterial species were found in only a small proportion of mosquitoes, and only 20 genera were shared by 80% of individuals. We show that observed differences in gut bacterial flora of adult mosquitoes is a result of breeding in distinct sites, suggesting that the native aquatic source where larvae were grown determines the composition of the midgut microbiota. Importantly, the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in the mosquito midgut correlates significantly with the Plasmodium infection status. This striking relationship highlights the role of natural gut environment in parasite transmission. Deciphering microbe-pathogen interactions offers new perspectives to control disease transmission.Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); French Agence Nationale pour la Recherche [ANR-11-BSV7-009-01]; European Community [242095, 223601]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Does franchising create value? An analysis of the financial performance of US public restaurant firms

Author's OriginalIt is commonly believed that the franchising method of distribution provides strategic and operational benefits to the companies that adopt it. These benefits should result in superior financial performance as compared to that of firms that do not use franchising. Yet, the empirical evidence of the effects of franchising on financial performance is sparse and mixed. The purpose of this paper is to further examine the empirical evidence of the impact of franchising on a firm’s financial performance by using performance metrics (Economic Value Added and Market Value Added) that are extensively used in corporate finance. This study focuses on the US public restaurant sector. The results provide some evidence that franchising firms create more market and economic value than do non-franchising firms. A revised version of this paper has since been published in the International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration. Please use this version in your citations.Aliouche, E. & Schlentrich, U. (2009). Does Franchising Create Value? An Analysis of the Financial Performance of US Public Restaurant Firms. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 10(2), 93-10

Osteogenesis evaluation of duck’s feet derived collagen/hydroxyapatite sponges immersed in dexamethasone

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the osteogenesis effects of DC and DC/HAp sponge immersed in without and with dexamethasone. Methods: The experimental groups in this study were DC and DC/HAp sponge immersed in without dexamethasone (Dex(â )DC and Dex(â )-DC/HAp group) and with dexamethasone (Dex(+)-DC and Dex(+)-DC/HAp group). We characterized DC and DC/HAp sponge using compressive strength, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs on sponge (Dex(â )DC, Dex(â )-DC/HAp, Dex(+)-DC and Dex(+)-DC/HAp group) was assessed by SEM, 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Results: In this study, we assessed osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs on Duckâ s feet-derived collagen (DC)/ HAp sponge immersed with dexamethasone Dex(+)-DC/HAp. These results showed that Dex(+)-DC/HAp group increased cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs during 28 days. Conclusion: From these results, Dex(+)-DC/HAp can be envisioned as a potential biomaterial for bone regeneration applications.This work was supported by Technology Commercialization Support Program [grant number 814005-03-3-HD020], Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Role of Individual Variables, Organizational Variables and Moral Intensity Dimensions in Libyan Management Accountants’ Ethical Decision Making

This study investigates the association of a broad set of variables with the ethical decision making of management accountants in Libya. Adopting a cross-sectional methodology, a questionnaire including four different ethical scenarios was used to gather data from 229 participants. For each scenario, ethical decision making was examined in terms of the recognition, judgment and intention stages of Rest’s model. A significant relationship was found between ethical recognition and ethical judgment and also between ethical judgment and ethical intention, but ethical recognition did not significantly predict ethical intention—thus providing support for Rest’s model. Organizational variables, age and educational level yielded few significant results. The lack of significance for codes of ethics might reflect their relative lack of development in Libya, in which case Libyan companies should pay attention to their content and how they are supported, especially in the light of the under-development of the accounting profession in Libya. Few significant results were also found for gender, but where they were found, males showed more ethical characteristics than females. This unusual result reinforces the dangers of gender stereotyping in business. Personal moral philosophy and moral intensity dimensions were generally found to be significant predictors of the three stages of ethical decision making studied. One implication of this is to give more attention to ethics in accounting education, making the connections between accounting practice and (in Libya) Islam. Overall, this study not only adds to the available empirical evidence on factors affecting ethical decision making, notably examining three stages of Rest’s model, but also offers rare insights into the ethical views of practising management accountants and provides a benchmark for future studies of ethical decision making in Muslim majority countries and other parts of the developing world