Long-time behavior of MHD shell models

The long time behavior of velocity-magnetic field alignment is numerically investigated in the framework of MHD shell model. In the stationary forced case, the correlation parameter C displays a nontrivial behavior with long periods of high variability which alternates with periods of almost constant C. The temporal statistics of correlation is shown to be non Poissonian, and the pdf of constant sign periods displays clear power law tails. The possible relevance of the model for geomagnetic dynamo problem is discussed.Comment: 6 pages with 5 figures. In press on Europhysics Letter

A note on dissipation in helical turbulence

In helical turbulence a linear cascade of helicity accompanying the energy cascade has been suggested. Since energy and helicity have different dimensionality we suggest the existence of a characteristic inner scale, $\xi=k_H^{-1}$, for helicity dissipation in a regime of hydrodynamic fully developed turbulence and estimate it on dimensional grounds. This scale is always larger than the Kolmogorov scale, $\eta=k_E^{-1}$, and their ratio $\eta / \xi$ vanishes in the high Reynolds number limit, so the flow will always be helicity free in the small scales.Comment: 2 pages, submitted to Phys. Fluid

The midwife factor in obstetric procedures and neonatal outcome

Aims. In the face of major tendency towards midwiferyled-care it was our purpose to investigate the extent of the influence of the midwife on the rates of obstetric procedures and perinatal outcome. Methods. 5384 consecutive deliveries at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. University of Graz, were enrolled in the study. The following data were collected: mode of delivery, pH of umbilical artery, Apgar score. Firstly, data were investigated for interindividual differences and, secondly, for relationship with age of the midwife as a measure of experience. Results. Interindividual differences were significant for episiotomy rates (minimum: 31.6%; maximum 76.9%; p<0.001), forceps rates (minimum: 1.7%; maximum 11.1%;p=0.002) and pH of umbilical arteries (minimum: 7.21:maxinium: 7.28 p=0.001) but not for cesarean section rates and Apgar scores. Linear regression analysis was significant between age of midwives and pH of umbilical arteries (p<0.001: r=0.055) and for one-minute Apgar score (p=0.009; r=0.050) but not for episiotomy rates, cesarean section rates, forceps rates and five-minutes Apgar score. Conclusions. There are large interindividual differences in obstetric intervention rates which cannot be explained by the midwives' age. Provision of health care should be primarily determined by need and not by the personal characteristics of the health care provider, thus interindividual differences should be reduced and more often taken into account when analyzing any kind of data

Inducing topological order in a honeycomb lattice

We explore the possibility of inducing a topological insulator phase in a honeycomb lattice lacking spin-orbit interaction using a metallic (or Fermi gas) environment. The lattice and the metallic environment interact through a density-density interaction without particle tunneling, and integrating out the metallic environment produces a honeycomb sheet with in-plane oscillating long-ranged interactions. We find the ground state of the interacting system in a variational mean-field method and show that the Fermi wave vector, kF, of the metal determines which phase occurs in the honeycomb lattice sheet. This is analogous to the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) mechanism in which the metal's kF determines the interaction profile as a function of the distance. Tuning kF and the interaction strength may lead to a variety of ordered phases, including a topological insulator and anomalous quantum-hall states with complex next-nearest-neighbor hopping, as in the Haldane and the Kane-Mele model. We estimate the required range of parameters needed for the topological state and find that the Fermi vector of the metallic gate should be of the order of 3Pi/8a (with a being the graphene lattice constant). The net coupling between the layers, which includes screening in the metal, should be of the order of the honeycomb lattice bandwidth. This configuration should be most easily realized in a cold-atoms setting with two interacting Fermionic species.Comment: 7 pages; 2 figures; Version 2 - added references; added an appendix about screenin

Marketing Underutilized Plant Species for the Poor

Underutilized plant species are defined as agricultural or non-timber forest species that are locally abundant in developing countries but globally rare. Scientific information about them is scant and their use is currently limited relative to their economic potential. Some are potentially high-value crops and they all contribute to agricultural biodiversity and the livelihood of the poor. Despite a growing body of scientific literature on underutilized species, to our knowledge, agricultural economics literature has contributed little to the understanding of how to commercialize these crops of plant products successfully. In this paper we first define what economic factors characterize underutilized plant species. Our classification of species is based on: 1) the relationship of the observed to the potential economic value of the species; 2) the presence or absence of an output market; and 3) the presence of market imperfections and 4) the presence of particular market failures. With this economic characterization, we exclude species for which developing markets is in or of itself irrelevant. We then identify three necessary conditions to the successful commercialization of underutilized plant species for the poor: demand expansion, increase efficiency of supply and supply control mechanism. The purpose of developing this simple conceptual framework is to provide a basis for the design of an empirical investigation of marketing solutions for underutilized plant species among the rural poor in developing economies.agricultural marketing, agricultural biodiversity, economic development, Crop Production/Industries, Q13, O13, Q56,