State of the world’s plants and fungi 2020

Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi project provides assessments of our current knowledge of the diversity of plants and fungi on Earth, the global threats that they face, and the policies to safeguard them. Produced in conjunction with an international scientific symposium, Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi sets an important international standard from which we can annually track trends in the global status of plant and fungal diversity

Fiber-optic time domain reflectometer

An optical time domain reflectometer is described which combines in one instrument the basic capability to analyze several important fiber characteristics. The device uses the polarization properties of light to enable high sensitivity fault detection close to the fiber input end; its probe pulse temporal characteristics and high gain photodetector in combination provide excellent discontinuity location resolution in long lossy fibers, and give an indication of fiber dispersion at large bandwidths

Decreased expression of both the alpha1- and alpha2-subunits of the Na-K-ATPase reduces maximal alveolar epithelial fluid clearance.

Impaired epithelial sodium channel function predisposes to delayed resorption of pulmonary edema and more severe experimental lung injury, whereas even a small fraction of the normal Na-K-ATPase activity is thought to be sufficient to maintain normal ion transport. However, direct proof is lacking. Therefore, we studied baseline and cAMP stimulated alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) in mice with a 50% decrease in lung protein expression of the alpha(1)- and/or alpha(2)-subunit of the Na-K-ATPase. There was no difference in basal and stimulated AFC in alpha(1)(+/-) or alpha(2)(+/-) mice compared with wild-type littermates. Also, the compound heterozygous mice (alpha(1)(+/-)/alpha(2)(+/-)) had normal basal AFC. However, the combined alpha(1)(+/-)/alpha(2)(+/-) mice showed a significant decrease in cAMP-stimulated AFC compared with wild-type littermates (11.1 +/- 1.0 vs. 14.9 +/- 1.8%/30 min, P < 0.001). When exposed to 96 h of >95% hyperoxia, the decrease in stimulated AFC in the alpha(1)(+/-)/alpha(2)(+/-) mice was not associated with more lung edema compared with wild-type littermates (lung wet-to-dry weight ratio 6.6 +/- 0.9 vs. 5.9 +/- 1.1, respectively; P = not significant). Thus a 50% decrease in protein expression of the alpha(1)- or alpha(2)-subunits of the Na-K-ATPase does not impair basal or stimulated AFC. However, a 50% protein reduction in both the alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-subunits of the Na-K-ATPase produces a submaximal stimulated AFC, suggesting a synergistic role for alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-subunits in cAMP-dependent alveolar epithelial fluid clearance

Intra-abdominal pressure and rowing : the effects of inspiring versus expiring during the drive

Rappel de l'incidence de la pression intra-abdominale sur la neutralisation des forces de compression et de cisaillement affectant les vertèbres lombaires des rameurs, lors de la phase de propulsion en aviron. Etude de la coordination entre l'inspiration ou l'expiration et le coup d'aviron en rapport avec la mécanique de la propulsion, les mouvements du corps du rameur, la contraction des muscles abdominaux, et les mesures de la pression intra-abdominale. Effets sur le rachis lombaire, utilisation de ces recherches pour la prévention des lombalgies du rameur

Radiation-induced imaging system over long fiber-optic bundles

Scintillator, fiber, and detector technologies have progressed over the last few years so that it is now possible to record radiation images over optical fiber bundles 1 km in length. Scintillators that emit at 730 nm will be coupled with wavelength-multiplexing techniques to telecommunication fibers for transmission to a demultiplexer and detection by GaAs microchannel-plate image-intensifier tubes. The technique and design considerations, such as time-integrated versus time-resolved images, resolution and system dynamic range will be described

Debt burden, military spending and growth in Sub-Saharan Africa : a dynamic panel data analysis

This article empirically explores the relationship between military expenditure, external debts and economic performance in the economies of sub-Saharan Africa using a sample of 25 countries from 1988–2007. In investigating the defence–external debt nexus, we employ three advanced panel techniques of fully modified OLS (FMOLS), Dynamic OLS (DOLS) and dynamic fixed effect (DFE) to estimate our model. We observe that military expenditure has a positive and significant impact on external debt in African countries. Real GDP affects the total debt stock of African countries with a negative relationship. Our empirical results based on long-run elasticities show that a 1% rise in national output leads to a decline in external debt by 1.52%, on average. Policy-wise, the study suggests that African countries need to strengthen areas of fiscal responsibility and pursue models that encourage rational spending, particularly reductions in military expenditure