3,019 research outputs found
Green Economy as an Environment-based Framework for Indonesias Economic Reposition Structure
Economic development should consider the negative effects it creates. This will help to achieve a sustainable economic development. The green economic conceptcan be a solution to development process that works on natural resources conservation. This paper proposes a discriminant analysis to describe the green economic development. It analyses a group of countries, classified by their income levels. The analysis result suggests that environment factors such asemissions and area of the forest are important variables
Participatory Identification of Factors Inhibiting Integrated Management of Livestock and Wildlife Production on Kenyan Rangelands
Photon Self-Induced Spin to Orbital Conversion in TGG crystal at high laser power
In this paper, we present experimental evidence of a newly discovered
third-order nonlinear optical process Self-Induced Spin-to-Orbital Conversion
(SISTOC) of the photon angular momentum. This effect is the physical mechanism
at the origin of the depolarization of very intense laser beams propagating in
isotropic materials. The SISTOC process, like self-focusing, is triggered by
laser heating leading to a radial temperature gradient in the medium. In this
work we tested the occurrence of SISTOC in a terbium gallium garnet (TGG) rod
for an impinging laser power of about 100~W. To study the SISTOC process we
used different techniques: polarization analysis, interferometry and tomography
of the photon orbital angular momentum. Our results confirm, in particular,
that the apparent depolarization of the beam is due to the occurrence of
maximal entanglement between the spin and orbital angular momentum of the
photons undergoing the SISTOC process. This explanation of the true nature of
the depolarization mechanism could be of some help in finding novel methods to
reduce or to compensate for this usually unwanted depolarization effect in all
cases where very high laser power and good beam quality are required.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figures, submitte
Supercapacitor management system:A comprehensive review of modeling, estimation, balancing, and protection techniques
Spin-orbit hybrid entanglement of photons and quantum contextuality
We demonstrate electromagnetic quantum states of single photons and of
correlated photon pairs exhibiting "hybrid" entanglement between spin and
orbital angular momentum. These states are obtained from entangled photon pairs
emitted by spontaneous parametric down conversion, by employing a -plate for
coupling the spin and orbital degrees of freedom of a photon. Entanglement and
contextual quantum behavior (that is also non-local, in the case of photon
pairs) is demonstrated by the reported violation of the
Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality. In addition a classical analog of the
hybrid spin-orbit photonic entanglement is reported and discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Environmental Co-Benefits of Improved Forages in Smallholder Dairy Systems of Kenya
Livestock play a major role across Kenya, especially in smallholder mixed farms through provision of household nutrition and income through milk and meat. Equally, fertilization of cropland benefits from livestock manure, and livestock often act as insurance and saving. Despite the opportunities and benefits livestock production presents, livestock systems are also key drivers of environmental degradation, including increased nutrient loads, GHG emissions, water use, grassland degradation and land-use conversion. Low livestock productivity, largely due to use of low-quality crop residues and natural grasses often not endowed with nutrients key for animal performance, limits the potential positive contributions of livestock and at the same time reduces the efficiency of natural resource use. In response to this and with smallholder dairy farmers’ participation, we undertook an evaluation of 5 selected improved cultivated forages from Urochloa and Megathyrsus genus as an alternative to the Napier grass commonly grown by farmers. We evaluated impact on livestock productivity, farmers’ income, land and water requirement, soil erosion, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions. We observed more efficient use of farmers’ lands and financial resources through integrating improved forages and optimization of feeding strategies. We have also shown that the production and use of improved forages can act as a good climate change mitigation option
Opportunities and Challenges in Applying Light-weight National-scale Spatial Network Models
This paper explores the use of light-weight national-scale spatial network models in order to develop methods of understanding urban environments in developing contexts with limited data, budgets and time availability. The validity of national-scale analysis has been established in research focussed on the United Kingdom and United States of America, but not in other socioeconomic and spatial landscapes. In order to evalute the extent to which this methodology still holds, Uruguay and The Maldives are taken as case studies. Open-source road-centre line data is used to construct spatial network models, which are analysed using space syntax analysis. First, each spatial network model is correlated with open-source population data to explore potential relationships between spatial network density (node count) and population. The study finds a notable relationship between national-scale population distribution and citywide node count, where the citywide radii of analysis is taken as the average global radii of the cities in each country under evaluation. Second, a comparative analysis of cities within each country is undertaken, finding that capital cities are consistently above the linear trendline. Potential uses of this approach in future applications are highlighted, for instance, in practical evidence-based decision making, and in research across larger samples of countries and variables. It is argued that, despite data, time and budget constraints, it is possible to construct light-weight national-scale spatial network models that are insightful in-and-of themselves, and in conjuction with other globally-available open-source data. This presents significant opportunities to equalise access to evidence-based urban design and policy
Preconcentration of Trace Amounts of Pb(II) Ions without Any Chelating Agent by Using Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles prior to ETAAS Determination
This work investigates the potential of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles as an adsorbent for separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of lead from water samples prior to electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) determination. No chemical modifier is required in graphite furnace. Pb(II) ion was adsorbed on magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the pH range of 5.5–6.5, and then magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were easily separated from the aqueous solution by applying an external magnetic field; so, no filtration or centrifugation was necessary. After extraction and collection of MNPs, the analyte ions were eluted using HNO3 1.0 mol L−1. Several factors that may affect the preconcentration and extraction process, such as pH, type, and volume of eluent, amount of MNPs, sample volume, salting out effect, and interference ions were studied and optimized. Under the best experimental conditions, linearity was maintained between 0.005–0.5 ng mL−1. Detection limits for lead were 0.8 ng L−1 based on 3Sb. The relative standard deviation of seven replicate measurements of 0.05 ng mL−1 of Pb(II) ions was 3.8%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to extraction and determination of lead ions in the water and standard samples
Synthesis and characterization of Sm2(MoO4)3, Sm2(MoO4)3/GO and Sm2(MoO4)3/C3N4 nanostructures for improved photocatalytic performance and their anti-cancer the MCF-7 cells
Samarium molybdate nanoparticles (Sm2(MoO4)3) were prepared through a hydrothermal procedure and were used to form various composites with graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nitride (C3N4). The changes in the dimensions and morphology of the products were prepared using template agents like cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (�90), Triton X-100 (90), Polyvinyl alcohol (95), Ethylene glycol (�99), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). DRS analysis indicated band gap for the Sm2(MoO4), Sm2(MoO4)3/GO, and Sm2(MoO4)3/C3N4 as 3.75, 3.15, and 3.4 respectively. The characteristics of the prepared nanostructures were studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, the activity of the prepared Sm2(MoO4)3 as photo-catalysts for the degradation of different organic dyes such as methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B (Rh B) was evaluated. The photocatalytic property of Sm2(MoO4)3/C3N4 and Sm2(MoO4)3/GO for the degradation of MO, was obtained. Based on the empirical data Sm2(MoO4)3/C3N4 had the strongest photodegradation effect as compared to the other compounds tested after around 40 min. BET analysis revealed that the specific surface area of the Sm2(MoO4)3 nanocomposite prepared using C3N4 is 15 times that of in the absence of C3N4. Also, the cytotoxicity of synthesized samples was evaluated using MTT assay against human cell lines MCF-7 (cancer), and its IC50 was about 125 mg/L. © 202
Effect of Estradiol and Soy Extract on the Onset of PTZ-Induced Seizure in Ovariectomized Rats: Implications for Nurses and Midwives
Background: In many epileptic women, the ovarian cycle influences the risk and severity of seizures. Previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the neural excitatory effects of estrogen. Soybean is a rich source of plant estrogens. Therefore, soy intake can affect the risk and severity of seizures in women. Nurses and midwives need to be aware of the effects of diets containing estrogen in pregnant and post-menopausal women, as well as during the sexual cycle periods.
Objectives: Due to the limitations of human studies, this study aimed to investigate the effect of estradiol and soy extract on the onset of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in ovariectomized rats.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, sixty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups of ten. All of the groups except for the negative control groups were ovariectomized. One group received estradiol (100 µg/kg), one group was treated with alcoholic extract of soy (20 mg/kg), and the other group received vehicle over 28 days. PTZ (90 mg/kg) was used to induce seizure in all groups. Behavioral changes were observed over 30 minutes. All data were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post-hoc test.
Results: The mean ± SD of the clonic seizure threshold was 61.84 ± 8.53 in the group that received estradiol, while it was 71.70 ± 10.85 in the control group, 64.69 ± 3.23 in rats with laparotomy without removing the ovaries, 51.30 ± 6.84 in rats with laparotomy and removing the ovaries, 52.7 ± 7.18 in ovariectomized rats that received sesame oil as vehicle, and 59.2 ± 4.91, in the soy groups. Therefore, estradiol significantly increased the clonic seizure threshold, while the alcoholic extract of soy had no effect.
Conclusions: We concluded that the chronic administration of estradiol has an anticonvulsant effect in the animal model. However, alcoholic extract of soy has no effect on the onset of clonic seizures
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