Taking stock of arctic sea ice and climate

Abstract The relationship among the cause-and-effect of the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean is discussed. The increased vulnerability of the Arctic system to anomalous atmospheric forcing can be argued from the perspective that recent ice loss is the result of a long-term preconditioning to thinner ice. Such consequences demonstrate the difficulties inherent in ascertaining how the atmospheric circulation responds to Arctic, and global, climate change. Later-forming sea ice also leads to less protection from the waves of fall storms, affecting coastal communities such as Kivalina and Shishmaref. The coming decades will provide new insights into the complexities of the Arctic climate system and how changes will affect the biological and human communities within and beyond its boundaries

Developmental features and yields of three promising upland rice varieties in Zimbabwe

Three upland rice varieties: NERICA 1, 3 and 7 that were proved to be promising by previous trails in Zimbabwe, were selected as experimental materials to evaluate their developmental features and yields in irrigated conditions. The results indicate that plant height increased sharply first, and then slowly until the highest values that kept invariant. Tiller number per hill showed S-shaped curves which increased and reached relatively stable values first, then decreased slightly and finally increased again to produce the second time tiller. The leaf number per plant was apparently went up and down, which ascended to the peak values and then started to descend. NERICA 1 had many features which differed from NERICA 3 and NERICA 7, such as early maturing, short plant height, multiple tiller and multiple leave. It had the highest number of panicles and grains among the three varieties though it had nearly the same grain weight with NERICA 3 and NERICA 7. These results will be helpful to release these varieties in Zimbabwe.Keywords: Developmental feature, upland rice variety, yield, yield components, ZimbabweAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(21), pp. 3208-321

Ankyrin G Membrane Partners Drive the Establishment and Maintenance of the Axon Initial Segment

International audienceThe axon initial segment (AIS) is a highly specialized neuronal compartment that plays a key role in neuronal development and excitability. It concentrates multiple membrane proteins such as ion channels and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that are recruited to the AIS by the scaffold protein ankyrin G (ankG). The crucial function of ankG in the anchoring of AIS membrane components is well established, but a reciprocal role of membrane partners in ankG targeting and stabilization remained elusive. In rat cultured hippocampal neurons and cortical organotypic slices, we found that shRNA-mediated knockdown of ankG membrane partners (voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) or neurofascin-186) led to a decrease of ankG concentration and perturbed the AIS formation and maintenance. These effects were rescued by expressing a recombinant AIS-targeted Nav or by a minimal construct containing the ankyrin-binding domain of Nav1.2 and a membrane anchor (mABD). Moreover, overexpressing mABD in mature neurons led to ankG mislocalization. Altogether, these results demonstrate that a tight and precocious association of ankG with its membrane partners is a key step for the establishment and maintenance of the AIS

THE IMPACT OF STORAGE CONDITIONS ON THE FOREST BIOMASS QUALITY FOR BIOFUELS PRODUCTION

Biomass quality is an essential parameter for the production of biofuels both by thermal ways (gasification, pyrolysis, torrefaction, etc) or biochemical ways (enzymatic hydrolysis and yeast saccharification). Storage is one of the most important parameters to be taken in account in the logistics chains of biomass supply for biofuel conversion sites. Morever, some benefits in terms of biomass quality can be obtained by storing biomass prior transportation or usage. In this case, storage can be considered as a pre-treatment of biomass for biofuel production. In this project, we have studied the evolution of biomass quality of different wooden resources (softwoods and hardwoods; short/very-short rotation coppices and residues of forest exploitation) stored under different conditions : seasons (spring/summer or autumn/winter), sites (forest roadside and storage platforms; uncovered and covered; under water sprinkling). Two locations were also tested, one in Bordeaux area (southwest of France) and the second in Dijon area (northeast of France). Different piles of approximately 10 m3 (2.5 to 3.5 tons of wood chips) were constituted for each modality. Samples were taken from two different levels of the piles at different intervals of storage (0 to 6 months). The following biomass quality parameters were followed : moisture content, elemental (C, H, O, N, S, Cl) and chemical (extractives, lignin, polysaccharides – cellulose and hemicelluloses, C5 and C6 sugars contents) composition; heating value; ash content, fusibility behaviour and composition. The results obtained indicated that the conditions of storage strongly influence the biomass quality, especially for the thermal conversion. The type of initial raw material (softwoods or hardwoods / short/very-short rotation coppices and residues of forest exploitation) are also of major importance, especially if the biomass material is stored with or without leaves. In that way, the season aspect becomes very important. Water sprinkling is an interesting way to remove certain compounds, such ash constituents or extractives, partially responsible for tar formation. On the other way, in this case a compulsory drying step is needed and a careful energy balance is needed in order to evaluate the pertinence or not of this technology. Concerning the biochemical conversion, no major differences were observed for the mono/polysaccharides contents. However, the removal of certain elements/substances could impact the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation for bioethanol production

Evaluating services for perinatal asphyxia and low birth weight at two hospitals in Ghana: a micro-costing analysis

Background: Neonatal mortality has been decreasing slowly in Ghana despite investments in maternal-newborn services. Although community-based interventions are effective in reducing newborn deaths, hospital-based services provide better health outcomes.Objective: To examine the process and cost of hospital-based services for perinatal asphyxia and low birth weight/preterm at a district and a regional level referral hospital in Ghana.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 2 hospitals in Greater Accra Region during May-July 2016. Term infants with perinatal asphyxia and low birth weight/preterm infants referred for special care within 24hours after birth were eligible. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) approach was used to examine the process and cost of all activities in the full cycle of care from admission until discharge or death. Costs were analysed from health provider’s perspective.Results: Sixty-two newborns (perinatal asphyxia 27, low-birth-weight/preterm 35) were enrolled. Cost of care was proportionately related to length-of-stay. Personnel costs constituted over 95% of direct costs, and all resources including personnel, equipment and supplies were overstretched.Conclusion: TDABC analysis revealed gaps in the organization, process and financing of neonatal services that undermined the quality of care for hospitalized newborns. The study provides baseline cost data for future cost-effectiveness studies on neonatal services in Ghana.Keywords: perinatal asphyxia; low-birth-weight; time-driven activity-based costing; process of careFunding: Authors received no external funding for the stud

Evaluation of Covid-19 Impact on Maternal and Neonatal Health Services Continuity at the Cite-Verte Health District in Yaounde, Cameroon

Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak in Cameroon on the continuity of Maternal and Neonatal Health Services (MNHS) at the Cite-Verte Health District.Problem: The advent of this pandemic has threatened the progress made so far in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality meanwhile the continued provision of MNHS is a predominant solution to support and improve the health of women and girls [1,2].Methods: A mixed study was carried out with 11 MNHS users and 4 health facilities in the Cite-verte health district. The indicators of MNHS continuity were listed using a questionnaire, a Dhis2 data collection form and a semi-structured interview guide. Data were subject to SPSS analysis based on the comparison of MNHS continuity and manual content analysis.Results: Context-Based Theory guided the discussion of our results which showed an indirect impact of the pandemic on MNHS continuity, characterized by a drop in number of MNHS health personnel with a high turnover rate of 79% and a staff attack rate estimated at 8%. We also found MNHS disruptions due to stock shortage in 100% of health facilities surveyed, a statistically significant decrease of 9% (Diff = 0.09; P-value = 0.000; 95%; CI = [0.075; 0.104]) and 17% (Diff = 0.17; P-value = 0.000; 95%; CI = [0.076; 0.264]), respectively for the indicators of family planning and neonatal deaths, a decrease of 22% on first ANC attendance, a drop of 28% on skilled birth attendance, and finally, an increase of 65% on maternal mortality. Nevertheless, MNHS user needs were met as they managed to overcome the feeling of fear, stress and depression caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in hospital settings.Conclusion: To mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on MNHS continuity, health managers must be ready to recruit more personnel, provide more supplies, and emphasize on community involvement during the outbreak

The Student Movement Volume 109 Issue 5: Cowboys and Cafeteria Catastrophes

HUMANS Student Workers Allege Mistreatment of Dining Services Employees, Andrew Francis Fall Break Festivities!, Interviewed by Andrew Francis AU Student Missionary Adjust to Life in Kenya, Marco Sciarabba ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Be Quiet! \u27Romeo + Juliet,\u27 Broadway and Theater Etiquette, Aiko J. Ayala Rios Good Grief! The Essence of Childhood in \u27It\u27s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown\u27, Corinna Bevier Introducing the AU English Department, Audrey Lim If Wit Is Your Taste, Maggie Smith Served Up a Feast, Ember Clark \u27Megalopolis\u27 Is a Captivating Train Wreck, Finnegan Blake NEWS AUSA Hosts Annual Barn Party, Melissa Moore Andrews University Students and Alumni Win Communication Awards, Isabella Koh IDEAS Is Space Exploration Necessary?, Amelia Stefanescu PULSE Coffee, Anyone?, Madison Vath LAST WORD Line Drive in the Gap, Andrew Francishttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-109/1004/thumbnail.jp