PREDICTING SOLAR RADIATION FOR TROPICAL ISLANDS FROM RAINFALL DATA

Abstract: There are many correlations developed to predict incident solar radiation at a given location developed based on geographical and meteorological parameters. However, all correlations depend on accurate measurement and availability of weather data such as sunshine duration, cloud cover, relative humidity, maximum and minimum temperatures etc, which essentially is a costly exercise in terms of equipment and labour. Sri Lanka being a tropical island of latitudinal change of only 30 along the length of the country, the meteorological factors govern the amount of incident radiation. Considering the cloud formation and wind patterns over Sri Lanka as well as the seasonal rainfall patterns, it can be observed that the mean number of rainy days can be used to predict the monthly average daily global radiation which can be used for calculations in solar related activities conveniently

‘Agents-in-focus’ and ‘Agents-in-context’: The strong structuration analysis of central government accounting practices and reforms in Nepal

Drawing on Stones’ (2005) strong structuration theory, the paper unfolds why and how the key stakeholders of central government accounting in Nepal are involved in the reproduction of routinised accounting practices, resisting the externally-propagated changes. Government accountants (the agents-in-focus) through their capability to control the budget routines have enjoyed a powerful social position in their position–practice relations with the agents-in-context, i.e. professional accountants and international consultants, higher-level officers and administrators, auditors, and politicians. Social position along with historically-imbued dispositions and their conduct and context analysis have enabled government accountants to strategically exercise their agency. Government accountants have articulated duality and a dialectic relation with the agents-in-context, which have resulted in the reproduction of everyday accounting practice and the resistance to the World Bank-led reforms, such as accrual accounting and, more recently, the Cash-Basis IPSAS

Installing oncofertility programs for breast cancer in limited versus optimum resource settings: Empirical data from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II

Purpose: As a further step to elucidate the actual diverse spectrum of oncofertility practices for breast cancer around the globe, we present and discuss the comparisons of oncofertility practices for breast cancer in limited versus optimum resource settings based on data collected in the Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II. Methods: We surveyed 39 oncofertility centers including 14 in limited resource settings from Africa, Asia & Latin America (Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I), and 25 in optimum resource settings from the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan (Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part II). Survey questions covered the availability of fertility preservation and restoration options offered to young female patients with breast cancer as well as the degree of utilization. Results: In the Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II, responses for breast cancer and calculated oncofertility scores showed the following characteristics: (1) higher oncofertility scores in optimum resource settings than in limited resource settings especially for established options, (2) frequent utilization of egg freezing, embryo freezing, ovarian tissue freezing, GnRH analogs, and fractionation of chemo- and radiotherapy, (3) promising utilization of oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM), (4) rare utilization of neoadjuvant cytoprotective pharmacotherapy, artificial ovary, and stem cells reproductive technology as they are still in preclinical or early clinical research settings, (5) recognition that technical and ethical concerns should be considered when offering advanced and innovative oncofertility options. Conclusions: We presented a plausible oncofertility best practice model to guide oncofertility teams in optimizing care for breast cancer patients in various resource settings

Buzzing Wild Bee Visits Enhance Seed Set in Eggplant, Solanum melongena

Sixty percent of the angiosperms with poricidal anthers are buzz-pollinated by bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apiformes). Plant taxa with Solanum-type flowers have larger anthers and shorter filaments. Solanum melongena (Solanaceae) is more commonly and efficiently pollinated by buzz pollinators. The present study documented bees and their diurnal pattern of visitation to flowers, relationship between their handling time and flower age, and the effect of bee visits on fruit and seed set in S. melongena in two sites in Kandy District. Efficiency of buzz pollination over pollination in the absence of bees was determined using open buds and buds covered with pollinator exclusion bags. On average, 150 days were taken to complete the life cycle of Solanum melongena. Three buzzing bees and two nonbuzzing bees in site I and five buzzing bees and two nonbuzzing bees in site II were recorded. Handling time of Pachynomia sp. and Hoplonomia westwoodi indicates that bees spend more time at new flowers than at old flowers. Handling time is higher in the smaller bee, Pachynomia sp., than in the larger bee, H. westwoodi. Statistical data on pollinator exclusion experiment revealed that the fruit set and seed set of S. melongena are enhanced by buzz-pollinating bees

The impact of health literacy and life style risk factors on health-related quality of life of Australian patients

© 2016 Jayasinghe et al. Background: Limited evidence exists regarding the relationship between health literacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Australian patients from primary care. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of health literacy on HRQoL in a large sample of patients without known vascular disease or diabetes and to examine whether the difference in HRQoL between low and high health literacy groups was clinically significant. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of baseline data from a cluster randomised trial. The study included 739 patients from 30 general practices across four Australian states conducted in 2012 and 2013 using the standard Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) version 2. SF-12 physical component score (PCS-12) and mental component score (MCS-12) are derived using the standard US algorithm. Health literacy was measured using the Health Literacy Management Scale (HeLMS). Multilevel regression analysis (patients at level 1 and general practices at level 2) was applied to relate PCS-12 and MCS-12 to patient reported life style risk behaviours including health literacy and demographic factors. Results: Low health literacy patients were more likely to be smokers (12 % vs 6 %, P = 0.005), do insufficient physical activity (63 % vs 47 %, P < 0.001), be overweight (68 % vs 52 %, P < 0.001), and have lower physical health and lower mental health with large clinically significant effect sizes of 0.56 (B (regression coefficient) = -5.4, P < 0.001) and 0.78(B = -6.4, P < 0.001) respectively after adjustment for confounding factors. Patients with insufficient physical activity were likely to have a lower physical health score (effect size = 0.42, B = -3.1, P < 0.001) and lower mental health (effect size = 0.37, B = -2.6, P < 0.001). Being overweight tended to be related to a lower PCS-12 (effect size = 0.41, B = -1.8, P < 0.05). Less well-educated, unemployed and smoking patients with low health literacy reported worse physical health. Health literacy accounted for 45 and 70 % of the total between patient variance explained in PCS-12 and MCS-12 respectively. Conclusions: Addressing health literacy related barriers to preventive care may help reduce some of the disparities in HRQoL. Recognising and tailoring health related communication to those with low health literacy may improve health outcomes including HRQoL in general practice

Journal Staff

We present the first measurements of the differential cross section d sigma/dp(T)(gamma) for the production of an isolated photon in association with at least two b-quark jets. The measurements consider photons with rapidities vertical bar y(gamma)vertical bar &lt; 1.0 and transverse momenta 30 &lt; p(T)(gamma) &lt; 200 GeV. The b-quark jets are required to have p(T)(jet) &gt; 15 GeVand vertical bar y(jet)vertical bar &lt; 1.5. The ratio of differential production cross sections for gamma + 2 b-jets to gamma + b-jet as a function of p(T)(gamma) is also presented. The results are based on the proton-antiproton collision data at root s = 1.96 TeV collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The measured cross sections and their ratios are compared to the next- to- leading order perturbative QCD calculations as well as predictions based on the k(T)- factorization approach and those from the sherpa and pythia Monte Carlo event generators