828 research outputs found

    Emergence and Survival of Four Introduced Wheatgrasses as Influenced by Rate and Season of Planting on Abandoned Farm Lands of Utah

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    A great deal has been accomplished in developing methods of restoring abused lands through seeding, yet there is much to be desired in refinement of techniques and in substantiation of previous experimental results. Controversial opinions as to the best season of planting indicate that additional trials are needed. New species need to be introduced, developed, and proved. methods are needed which lead to more efficient utilization of those factors limiting the degree of success in establishment. Since moisture is the most predominant limiting factor throughout the arid and semi-arid range land, special attention is given to more efficient utilization of the precipitation. Because of the above, a study was made involving 3 recently introduced species of Agropyron-intermediate wheatgrass (Agropyron intermedium), stiff-hair wheatgrass (A. trichophorum), and tall wheatgrass (A. elongatum). Performance of each is compared to that of crested wheatgrass (A. cristatum). The species were seeded on adjacent plots, measuring 20 by 50 feet, in all combinations of the following: 2 seasons of planting, 3 intensities of seeding, and 3 spacings between drill rows

    Touch inhibits touch: sanshool-induced paradoxical tingling reveals perceptual interaction between somatosensory submodalities

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    Human perception of touch is mediated by inputs from multiple channels. Classical theories postulate independent contributions of each channel to each tactile feature, with little or no interaction between channels. In contrast to this view, we show that inputs from two sub-modalities of mechanical input channels interact to determine tactile perception. The flutter-range vibration channel was activated anomalously using hydroxy-α-sanshool, a bioactive compound of Szechuan pepper, which chemically induces vibration-like tingling sensations. We tested whether this tingling sensation on the lips was modulated by sustained mechanical pressure. Across four experiments, we show that sustained touch inhibits sanshool tingling sensations in a location-specific, pressure-level and time-dependent manner. Additional experiments ruled out the mediation of this interaction by nociceptive or affective (C-tactile) channels. These results reveal novel inhibitory influence from steady pressure onto flutter-range tactile perceptual channels, consistent with early-stage interactions between mechanoreceptor inputs within the somatosensory pathway

    Modelling human factors in perceptual multimedia quality: On the role of personality and culture

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    Perception of multimedia quality is shaped by a rich interplay between system, context, and human factors. While system and context factors are widely researched, few studies in this area consider human factors as sources of systematic variance. This paper presents an analysis on the influence of personality (Five-Factor Model) and cultural traits (Hofstede Model) on the perception of multimedia quality. A set of 144 video sequences (from 12 short movie excerpts) were rated by 114 participants from a cross-cultural population, producing 1232 ratings. On this data, three models are compared: a baseline model that only considers system factors; an extended model that includes personality and culture as human factors; and an optimistic model in which each participant is modeled as a random effect. An analysis shows that personality and cultural traits represent 9.3% of the variance attributable to human factors while human factors overall predict an equal or higher proportion of variance compared to system factors. In addition, the quality-enjoyment correlation varied across the movie excerpts. This suggests that human factors play an important role in perceptual multimedia quality, but further research to explore moderation effects and a broader range of human factors is warranted

    The pervasive triad of food security, gender inequity and women\u27s health: Exploratory research from sub-Saharan Africa

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    Objectives: This study was designed to explore the interactions between food securing activities, health and gender equity from the perspective of rural east African women. The specific objectives were to document the critical interaction among these three issues - food security, gender inequity, women\u27s health within the context of sub-Saharan Africa; to describe the nature of this triad from the perspective of women farmers in Africa; and to propose a framework for linking available interventions to the vicious nature of this triad. Setting: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with rural women farmers in Kwale District, Kenya and Bagamoyo District, Tanzania. Methods: A total of 12 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions have been included in this analysis. Transcribed text from interviews and focus group discussions were coded and thematic conceptual matrices were developed to compare dimensions of common themes across interviews and settings. A thematic analysis was then performed and a framework developed to understand the nature of the triad and explore the potential for interventions within the interactions. Findings: The vicious cycle of increasing work, lack of time, and lack of independent decision making for women who are responsible for food production and health of their families, has health and social consequences. Food securing activities have negative health consequences for women, which are further augmented by issues of gender inequity. Conclusion: The African development community must respond by thinking of creative solutions and appropriate interventions for the empowerment of women farmers in the region to ensure their health

    Simultaneous determination of isoniazid and pyrazinamide in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography

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    Purpose: To develop and validate a new high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA) in plasma.Methods: A 150 μL aliquot of plasma was mixed with 75 μL of 10 % trichloroacetic acid containing 100 mg/L of acetanilide as the internal standard (IS). After vortex mixing and centrifugation, 100 μL of the supernatant was reacted with 20 μL of 0.1 % trans-cinnamaldehyde for 10 min, and then 40 μL of 1M ammonium acetate was added. Finally, 20 μL was injected into the HPLC system. HPLC analysis was performed on reversed phase C18 column. The initial composition of the mobile phase was 4 % acetonitrile, and 96 % of 20 mM 1-hexane sulfonic acid (PH 2.7) delivered at a flow rate 1 mL/min.Results: All calibration curves were linear (r2 > 0.997). The method was accurate, and relative error (RE) was < 4.5 % for both drugs. Intra-day and inter-day precision was good for both drugs, with the highest relative standard deviation (RSD) being 8.51 %. The lower limit of quantification was 0.60 mg/L for isoniazid and 3.00 mg/L for pyrazinamide.Conclusion: The method proposed here is precise, accurate, fast, simple and suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring of INH and PZA simultaneously.Keywords: HPLC, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Plasma, Simultaneous analysi

    Accumulation of some heavy metals in the prevailing plants (Alhagi mourorum and Suaeda vermiculata) near the thermal power plant in Al-Nasiriyah city south of Iraq

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    The present study aims to investigate the effect of Thermal power plant emissions upon two species of plant  Alhagi mourorum  and Suaeda vermiculata which growth in the region close to Thermal power plant. triplicater samples were collected seasonllys from  autumn 2016 up to summer 2017 one time from each season. three station were selected in the study area  to execute this study meters. The first station distances 400 meters from the thermal power station, The second station is located 800 meters from the thermal power plant . While, the third station distances 1200 meters from the thermal power plant . Three stations were with prevailing wind direction (north wind) , while control station situated far from the thermal power plant about 12 km. the concentratios of heavy  metals Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were estimate in root and shoot systems for both plants, their concentration in root system more higher than their concentrations in shoot system. its concluded from the present study  that thermal electric power station emissions affected upon the plants which growth in the surrounding region with thermal power plant.
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