The effect of different compost applications in organic production of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

It is well-known that compost and manure applications to all kinds of soils if these organic materials are mature and composted under favorable conditions result in improved soil fertility and crop production in terms of yield and quality, but because manure is expensive in our region and the application of in-farm production compost for organic lands and farms of Turkey is limited, there is a great and urgent need for demonstrate compost using advantages to soil fertility, plant yield-quality and food safety (Kir 2006). Vegetables account for only approximately 2% of total organic production in Turkey, but there is great potential for growth of organic production for both export and domestic consumption of organic products in our country. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most important species for testing effects of compost applications because of its sensitivity related with phyto-toxic effects of compost (Fuchs et al. 2008) and very important to find out productivity and sustainable production levels in crop production. It is obtained from the results at the end of the first two-year trials, respectively of the three year-planned research under organic management (framework of regulations of EU and Turkey) that (1) the artificial organic materials sourced from farms can be composted and applied to lettuce production to get a great profit in terms of environment and economic aspects of organic lettuce production significantly, (2) promising improvement of industry of compost production can be expected, (3) Organic lettuce can be consumed as microbiologically safe, (4) high quality lettuce production can be attained by using compost

Penyelarasan Kurikulum Jurusan Pendidikan Teknik Otomotif FT UNYBerbasis Kerangka Kualifikasi Nasional Indonesia

The objectives of this study were (1) to identify and analyse the competencies required by the graduates of the Department of Automotive Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering, Yogyakarta State University (YSU) in the workforce in accordance with the Indonesian National Qualification Framework (2) to develop the curriculum design that meets the needs of the workforce and the Indonesian National Qualification Framework, and (3) to develop the curriculum and the distribution of each competency in each course held at the Department. This study consists of the following stages: the evaluation of the existing curriculum through literature studies and workshops as well as the development of a new curriculum design. The workshop was conducted by presenting two practitioners from industry and 5 education practitioners and lecturers from the Department of Automotive Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering, YSU. The results of the study were (1) the identification and the analysis results of the required competencies (2) the draft of the curriculum, and (3) the curriculum networking and the distribution of each competency in each course

Wear and blanking performance of an AlCrN PVD coated punch.

Blanking of sheet steels is one of the most frequently used processes in the manufacture industry. During blanking processes, the wear of punch occurs due to the cycled contact of opposite surfaces. Therefore, the punch is exposed to high stresses and requires high resistance against wear. When worn tools are used, the tool surface directly affects the quality of sheet products and causes some surface defects. PVD coating of punch with a surface layer of improved hardness and low friction may reduce wear. The aim of this study is to characterize tool wear of AlCrN coated punch used for sheet steel blanking. The worn punch surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that wear take place due to abrasion, adhesion, and delamination along sliding flank surfaces. Edge rounding and fracture of cutting edges were also observed. After blanking tests, the tool wear volume of punches and burr height of blanked parts were also measured. The wear volumes were determined by means of profile measurements of the worn punch carried out after completion of a large amount of blanked parts.Штампування листів сталі – один із найвідоміших процесів у виробництві, за якого штамп зношується через циклічний контакт протилежних поверхонь. Він зазнає впливу високих напружень і тому повинен володіти високою зносотривкістю. Під час використання зношеного штампа поверхня інструмента впливає на якість листових виробів та спричиняє поверхневі дефекти. Покриви на штампі, отримані за допомогою PVD, завдяки високій твердості та слабкому тертю, можуть зменшити зношування. Вивчено зношування штампа із AlCrN покривом, який використовують для штампування листів сталі. Поверхні досліджено за допомогою сканівної електронної мікроскопії. Встановлено, що зношування спричинене стиранням, адгезією та розшаруванням уздовж задньої поверхні ковзання. Визначено об’єм зносу штампа та висоту зазору штампованих частин.Штампование листов стали – один из наиболее известных процессов в производстве, когда штамп изнашивается вследствие циклического контакта противоположных поверхностей. Он пребывает под воздействием повышенных напряжений и поэтому должен обладать высокой износостойкостью. При использовании изношенного штампа поверхность инструмента влияет на качество листовых изделий и обусловливает поверхностные дефекты. Покрытия на штампе, полученные с помощью PVD, благодаря высокой твердости и меньшему трению, могут уменьшить изнашивание. Изучено изнашивание штампа с AlCrN покрытием, который используют для штампования листов стали. Поверхности исследованы с помощью сканирующей электронной микроскопии. Выявлено, что изнашивание вызвано стиранием, адгезией и расслоением вдоль задней поверхности скольжения. Определены объем износа штампа и высота зазора штампованных частей

Investigation of conduction band structure, electron scattering mechanisms and phase transitions in indium selenide by means of transport measurements under pressure

In this work we report on Hall effect, resistivity and thermopower measurements in n-type indium selenide at room temperature under either hydrostatic and quasi-hydrostatic pressure. Up to 40 kbar (= 4 GPa), the decrease of carrier concentration as the pressure increases is explained through the existence of a subsidiary minimum in the conduction band. This minimum shifts towards lower energies under pressure, with a pressure coefficient of about -105 meV/GPa, and its related impurity level traps electrons as it reaches the band gap and approaches the Fermi level. The pressure value at which the electron trapping starts is shown to depend on the electron concentration at ambient pressure and the dimensionality of the electron gas. At low pressures the electron mobility increases under pressure for both 3D and 2D electrons, the increase rate being higher for 2D electrons, which is shown to be coherent with previous scattering mechanisms models. The phase transition from the semiconductor layered phase to the metallic sodium cloride phase is observed as a drop in resistivity around 105 kbar, but above 40 kbar a sharp nonreversible increase of the carrier concentration is observed, which is attributed to the formation of donor defects as precursors of the phase transition.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, 10 postscript figure

The influence of the political environment and destination governance on sustainable tourism development: a study of Bled, Slovenia

In the context of sustainable tourism development, there are many studies about the exchange process between residents and tourism, yet this issue is practically unexplored with respect to the political environment of tourism. Therefore, this paper introduces and posits that the political environment is a necessary enabler for implementing sustainable tourism. The authors extend the established three-pillar sustainability concept by adding in the political dimension. Then they surveyed how residents' positive and negative perceptions of tourism impacts determine their satisfaction with life in the tourism destination and thus their support for tourism in their community. The model was empirically tested within the context of the long-established Alpine destination of Bled in Slovenia. The findings confirm the importance of the political environment and question the sustainability of Bled's tourism development. It is suggested that the community has relatively weak destination governance due to the underdeveloped political environment. The survey expands and deepens the tourism sustainability debate by adding in the political environment and how it relates to the emerging growth of research on destination governance. The proposed model can be adapted and applied to any destination in order to improve its governance, including the implementation of sustainable tourism development

Validation of a contemporary prostate cancer grading system using prostate cancer death as outcome

BACKGROUND: Gleason scoring (GS) has major deficiencies and a novel system of five grade groups (GS⩽6; 3+4; 4+3; 8; ⩾9) has been recently agreed and included in the WHO 2016 classification. Although verified in radical prostatectomies using PSA relapse for outcome, it has not been validated using prostate cancer death as an outcome in biopsy series. There is debate whether an ‘overall' or ‘worst' GS in biopsies series should be used. METHODS: Nine hundred and eighty-eight prostate cancer biopsy cases were identified between 1990 and 2003, and treated conservatively. Diagnosis and grade was assigned to each core as well as an overall grade. Follow-up for prostate cancer death was until 31 December 2012. A log-rank test assessed univariable differences between the five grade groups based on overall and worst grade seen, and using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards. Regression was used to quantify differences in outcome. RESULTS: Using both ‘worst' and ‘overall' GS yielded highly significant results on univariate and multivariate analysis with overall GS slightly but insignificantly outperforming worst GS. There was a strong correlation with the five grade groups and prostate cancer death. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest conservatively treated prostate cancer cohort with long-term follow-up and contemporary assessment of grade. It validates the formation of five grade groups and suggests that the ‘worst' grade is a valid prognostic measure