Design of a high-speed valve

A high‐speed valve has been designed for opening a deLaval nozzle in times less than 10^(−3) sec

4-H Handicraft Guide: Leather Craft

Leather craft is both fascinating and functional. There are three primary ways to decorate leather-tooling, carving, and stampin

Timely TV Tools

This document discusses the advantages, disadvantages, use, impact and future of television on South Dakotans

Effects of humorous interventions on the willingness to donate organs: a quasi-experimental study in the context of medical cabaret

Heitland L, von Hirschhausen E, Fischer F. Effects of humorous interventions on the willingness to donate organs: a quasi-experimental study in the context of medical cabaret. BMC public health. 2020;20(1): 288.BACKGROUND: It has been shown that fears and misconceptions negatively affect the willingness to donate organs. Empirical studies have examined health communication strategies that serve to debunk these fears. There are promising indications that humor has the potential to influence health-related attitudes and behaviors. This study examines empirically whether medical cabaret, as a specific format for delivering health-related information in a humorous way, affects the willingness to donate organs.; METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among the audience of a medical cabaret live show. Participants in two intervention groups and one control group were interviewed just before the start of the live show (t0) and about 6 weeks later (t1). Intervention group 1 (I1) witnessed a ten-minute sequence by the cabaret artist about organ donation. Participants in I2 witnessed the sequence and, in addition, received an organ donor card. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to investigate changes in attitudes and the willingness to donate organs from t0 to t1.; RESULTS: A significant increase in the willingness to donate organs and an improvement in general attitude was observed in the intervention groups. Moreover, significantly more participants in I2 carried an organ donor card after the intervention. Some fears could be reduced, while understanding of the reasons for organ donation could be increased via the intervention.; CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that medical cabaret is able to affect respondents' attitudes and behaviors even in the context of organ donation. Medical cabaret can enhance the willingness to donate organs and dispel negative concerns

Effects of defoliation by horse chestnut leafminer ( Cameraria ohridella ) on reproduction in Aesculus hippocastanum

In large parts of Europe horse chestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum) suffer from severe defoliation by an alien invasive species, the specialist leaf mining moth Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera; Gracillariidae). Heavily infested trees have a drastically shortened period for photosynthesis. We quantified the effect of moth infestation on reproduction of horse chestnut trees in two different cities in central Europe, Bern and Munich. C. ohridella negatively affected seed and fruit weight of A. hippocastanum at both locations. In Munich, seed weight of heavily damaged trees was reduced by almost half. However, the number of seeds per fruit, the number of fruits per inflorescence, and the number of inflorescences per tree did not change due to herbivory. We conclude that C. ohridella mining affects seed quality but not seed quantity. The reduced seed weight may severely impair growth and survival of horse chestnut seedlings and thus may endanger the long-term persistence of A. hippocastanum in its endemic forests in south-east Europ