Structural complexity of seagrass and environmental variables as a determinant of fish larvae assemblages in tropical coastal waters: Implications for seagrass management and conservation

Anthropogenic activities including climate change affect the development of structural complexity in seagrass and the state of environmental variables. It remains unclear whether these variables, alone or in combination, have an important influence on fish larvae assemblages. This study examined the influence of the structural complexity of seagrass meadows and various environmental variables on fish larvae assemblages in tropical coastal waters of Tanga, Tanzania. The study was conducted in four Thalassia hemprichii dominated seagrass meadows from June 2019 to January 2021. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the structural complexity of seagrass (canopy height, seagrass cover, and shoot density) and environmental variables (dissolved oxygen, temperature and salinity) were the foremost predictors for fish larvae assemblages; abundance and richness (R2 = 0.75, p = 0.0185, R2 = 0.54, p = 0.0396, respectively). Based on these findings, the structural complexity of seagrass and environmental variables are both important determinants of fish larvae assemblages in tropical coastal waters. The findings suggest that reducing anthropogenic activities that affect the development of structural complexity of seagrass and negatively impact environmental variables in seagrass meadows through more effective governance would result in increased production of fish larvae in meadows and, as a result, increased fish recruitment in tropical coastal waters

PERAMALAN JUMLAH PENDUDUK MISKIN DI KOTA MEDAN MELALUI ANALISIS ARIMA TIME-SERIES FORECASTING METHODS DENGAN KENAIKAN HARGA BAHAN BAKAR MINYAK (BBM) SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERATING

ABSTRAK - Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keadaan penduduk miskin di kota Medan dalam selang lima tahun mendatang, seberapa besar jumlah penduduk miskin di kota Medan lima tahun, dan mengetahui sejaumana kenaikan harga bahan bakar minyak (BBM) mempengaruhi laju jumlah penduduk miskin di kota Medan. Data diperoleh melalui website resmi Badan Pusat Statistik Sumatera Utara dan BPS Kota Medan. Proses analisa data dilakukan dengan software minitab 15. Dari hasil analisis data yang telah dilakukan diatas dapat dikatakan bahwa peramalan terhadap penduduk miskin kota medan dengan menggunakan metode ARIMA dapat dilakukan dengan model ARIMA (0,1,1) karena memiliki nilai MSE terkecil yaitu 773.1. Dari uji Ljung-Box pada model ARIMA (0,1,1) diperoleh nilai p-value sebesar 0.000 0.050. Sehingga dapat dikatakan bahwa kenaikan harga BBM tidak berpengaruh terhadap jumlah penduduk miskin. Kemudian dari uji determinasi dapat ditunjukkan bahwa nilai R-Square sebesar 0.143, hal ini berarti bahwa variabel kenaikan harga BBM hanya mempengaruhi jumlah penduduk miskin sebesar 14,3% , dan sisanya sebesar 85,7% dipengaruhi oleh variabel lain. Kata Kunci: Peramalan (Forecasting), Penduduk Miskin, Model ARIM

The utility of oesophageal pH monitoring in diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease-related chronic cough

Wstęp: Przewlekły kaszel jest częstą dolegliwością, która może pogarszać jakość życia chorych oraz wywoływać liczne powikłania. J edną z częstych jego przyczyn jest choroba refluksowa przełyku (GERD). Do metod diagnostycznych stosowanych w celu potwierdzenia diagnozy kaszlu związanego z GERD należy pH-metria przełyku. Celem badania była ocena przydatności pH-metrii przełyku oraz określenie, który z parametrów mierzonych w czasie jej wykonywania jest najczulszy w diagnostyce kaszlu związanego z GERD.Materiał i metody: U 204 chorych z przewlekłym kaszlem wykonano 24-godzinną pH-metrię przełyku. Kobiety stanowiły 65% pacjentów, a mediana wieku wyniosła 59 lat. Epizod kwaśnego refluksu rozpoznawano, gdy nagły spadek pH poniżej 4 trwał co najmniej 12 sekund. Rozpoznanie GERD opierało się na całkowitym czasie pH poniżej 4, czasie pH poniżej 4 w pozycji stojącej lub leżącej oraz wskaźniku DeMeester. Kaszel związany z GERD diagnozowano, jeżeli epizody kaszlu odnotowane przez pacjentów pojawiały się nie później niż 2 minuty po epizodzie refluksu. Z wiązek pomiędzy epizodem refluksu i wystąpieniem kaszlu oceniono za pomocą następujących parametrów: symptom index (SI ≥ 50%) lub symptom association probability (SAP ≥ 95%).Wyniki: Na podstawie wyników pH-metrii przełyku u 135 chorych (135/204, 66%) wysunięto podejrzenie GERD. U większości z nich (117/135, 87%) diagnozę postawiono na podstawie wskaźnika DeMeester. Wśród pacjentów z GERD 61 osób (61/135, 45%) spełniło kryteria kaszlu związanego z GERD, co stanowiło 30% wszystkich pacjentów. U 36 pacjentów (36/61, 59%) kaszel związany z GERD zdiagnozowano na podstawie parametru SAP, u 12 chorych (20%) na podstawie parametru SI, natomiast u 13 (21%) na podstawie obu parametrów. Współczynnik korelacji Spearmana dla SAP ≥ 95% i SI ≥ 50% wyniósł 0,46 (p < 0,05).Wnioski: Na podstawie wyników pH-metrii GERD został zdiagnozowany 2-krotnie częściej niż kaszel związany z GERD. Parametr SAP jest bardziej czuły niż SI w diagnozowaniu kaszlu związanego z GERD. Introduction: Chronic cough is a common medical complaint, which may deteriorate patients’ quality of life and cause many complications. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the frequent reasons for chronic cough. Oesophageal pH monitoring is one of the diagnostic methods performed to confirm diagnosis of GERD-related cough. The aim of the study was to analyse the utility of oesophageal pH monitoring in diagnosing GERD-related cough and to identify the most sensitive pH monitoring parameters for diagnosing GERD-related cough.Material and methods: 24-hour oesophageal pH monitoring was performed in 204 patients suffering from chronic cough. The group consisted of 65% females and the median age was 59 years. An acid reflux episode was defined as a rapid drop in pH to a value below 4 for at least 12 seconds. The diagnosis of GERD was based on total fraction time of pH < 4, upright or supine fraction time of pH < 4, or DeMeester score. The diagnosis of GERD-related cough was made if cough episodes, marked by the patients, appeared within 2 minutes after the reflux. The association between reflux episode and appearance of cough was analysed using two parameters: symptom index (SI ≥ 50%) and/or symptom association probability (SAP ≥ 95%).Results: Based on results of pH monitoring, 135 patients (135/204, 66%) were diagnosed with GERD. Among them, 117 patients (117/135, 87%) were diagnosed based on DeMeester score. Among patients with GERD, 61 patients met the criteria of GERD-related cough (61/135, 45%), i.e. 30% of the group as a whole. Thirty-six patients (36/61, 59%) were diagnosed based on SAP, 12 patients (20%) based on SI, and 13 (21%) based on both parameters. Spearman rank correlation coefficient for SAP ≥ 95% and SI ≥ 50% was 0.46 (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Based on pH monitoring results, GERD was diagnosed twice as often as GERD-related cough. SAP index is more sensitive than SI for the diagnosis of GERD-related cough

Influence of addition of inulin on quality of triticale bread

Artykuł prezentuje wyniki badań dotyczące określenia wpływu dodatku inuliny jako zamiennika sacharozy na cechy sensoryczne i fizykochemiczne pieczywa pszenno-żytniego oraz określenia jego optymalnego dodatku, celem uzyskania pieczywa najwyższej jakości. Przeprowadzono wypiek chleba pszenno-żytniego bez dodatku inuliny (z 3% udziałem sacharozy) oraz z 3, 6 i 12% udziałem inuliny (bez sacharozy) w stosunku do użytej mąki. Badania wykazały najwyższą jakość pieczywa pszenno-żytniego z 3% udziałem inulinyThis paper attempts to determine the effect of addition of inulin as a substitute for sucrose in the sensory and physicochemical properties of triticale bread and to determine the optimum addition to obtaining the highest quality breads. Bread was baked without inulin (with 3% of sucrose) and with 3, 6, and 12% inulin addition. Sensory and physicchemical analysis confirmed the highest quality breads with 3% addition of inulin

Applying the time-lapse imaging technique for the studies of stem gravitropic kinetics in the changed gravimorphic conditions

White willow (Salix alba L.) dormant shoots were collected in March and cut into 30 cm segments. The basal ends were placed in containers with sand and kept in dispersed sunlight and the halogen light after dark. To induce the gravimorphic reaction the segments were oriented at the angle of 30 degrees with respect to horizontal line (stage I). After two weeks of culture the segments were turned at the angle of 150 degrees in such a way that the segments were in horizontal position and the newly formed lateral shoots were oriented according to the gravity vector (fig. 1). They were kept in such position for another 2 weeks (stage II). The growth kinetics of newly formed shoots was studied using time lapse technique. It was found that during stage I the most intensive development of lateral buds growth occurred on the upper side at apical part of the shoot segment. During stage II, the newly formed shoots started to reorient opposite to the gravity vector. The latateral shoots close to the apical end responded faster as compared to the shoots located at farther distances. The site of gravitropic response during 2−week−long experiment was moving and located always below apical part of the lateral shoot in the non−lignified zone. Microscopic observations of the newly formed lateral shoots revealed formation of secondary xylem typical for willow and in some regions the structure newly formed xylem was similar to that of tension wood. The possibility of application of 3D digital Image Correlation method for the studies of growth trajectory was tested in the preliminary experiment performed on the seedlings of Cucumis sativus (fig. 2). The preliminary results (fig. 3) indicate that the method could be applied also for the of growth trajectory of woody plants

Osmotic dehydration process in fruit and vegetables preservation technology

W przeprowadzonej pracy analityczno-przeglądowej przedstawiono aktualny stan wiedzy w zakresie odwadniania osmotycznego ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem surowców roślinnych. Scharakteryzowano proces odwadniania, jako metodę wstępnego utrwalania owoców i warzyw. Ponadto określono wpływ osmozy na jakość surowców roślinnych.In the paper the current state of knowledge in the field of osmotic dehydration with particular attention plant materials was presented. Dewatering process, as a method of preliminary fruit and vegetables preservation was characterized. Additionally, the influence of osmosis on the plant material quality was defined

Modelling and numerical analysis of explosion underneath the vehicle

The article presents a method for numerical modelling of interaction of a shock wave on a simplified model of a light armoured vehicle. Detonation of the explosive material occurs centrally underneath the vehicle. The mass of an explosive charge was from 0.5 to 10 kg off TNT. Acceleration, displacement and kinetic energy of the floor plate/panel were verified during the tests. The model and numerical calculations were carried out using the following programs: CATIA, HyperMesh, LS-PrePost, LS-Dyna. CONWEP approach was applied to describe interaction of a pressure wave on the structure. For each case, the explosive charge was located at the same place under 700 mm from the top surface of the range stand. The results of the calculations present the effects of detonation under the vehicle without a protective system and with the protective system. The proposed protection system is made of low-density materials such as aluminum foam and cork. Thanks to such an approach, the effectiveness of the protective system will be checked to reduce the adverse physical quantities that threaten the health of the soldiers. Thanks to very simple solutions, it is possible to increase passive safety of passers and use of low-density materials will slightly increase the vehicle's mass leaving manoeuvrability at a similar level

Influence of internal space frame in body shell on change of its response as a result of impulse forcing

In order to increase the stiffness anybody chassis in Wheeled Armoured Vehicle on impact of the shock wave, the space frame part in body shell was conducted. The aim of this action is to reduce deformation and damage as a result of the detonation of the mine or an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) under the vehicle. To verify the conducted modernization, numerical calculations of the system response to a blast wave effect were carried out. The mass of the detonated explosive was increased from 6 to 20 kg of TNT. An explosive material was detonated centrally under the vehicle front part according to NATO requirements [1, 2]. The results of the calculations allowed for a deformation assessment of the floor plate and its displacement before and after modernization. A model and numerical calculations were performed using the following software: CATIA, HyperMesh, LS-PrePost, LS-Dyna. CONWEP approach was used to describe an influence of a pressure wave on the structure

The influence of apple slices’ thickness before beeing dried with infrared radiation on their rehydration

Praca przedstawia wyniki badań autorów będące kontynuacją badań wpływu mocy promienników podczerwieni na zdolność pochłaniania wody przez plastry jabłek odmiany Lobo. Do badań użyto plastrów jabłek odmiany Lobo o średnicy 40mm i grubościach 2,5mm, 5,0mm, 10mm. Materiał naświetlano promiennikami podczerwieni o łącznej mocy 500W. Stwierdzono, że grubość materiału przed suszeniem ma wpływ na jego późniejszą rehydrację. Zależność ta jest liniowa. Zdolność pochłaniania wody maleje wraz ze wzrostem grubości materiału. Przedłużanie procesu suszenia ma negatywny wpływ na zdolność pochłaniania wody, co świadczy o naruszeniu lub zniszczeniu struktury materiału.This elaboration shows the results of author’s research work on the influence of infrared radiators power on the ability of absorbing water by slices of lobo apples. The samples were prepared the same way as during previous research. The total power of radiators was 550 W, optimal according to the previous research. It was found that the thickness of slices was important for their ability of absorbing water. It’s the maximum rehydration coefficient. The character of that is linear. The ability of absorbing water is going lower together with the thickness of sample. Making the drying process longer makes the ability of absorbing water worse, that means the structure of sample gets damaged or destroyed. The optimal time of rehydration the dried apples, with water of a temperature 20° C, takes 5 hours