Reflectionless measures and the Mattila-Melnikov-Verdera uniform rectifiability theorem

A new proof is given of the Mattila-Melnikov-Verdera theorem on the uniform rectifiability of an Ahlfors-David regular measure whose associated Cauchy transform operator is bounded.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figure

Perceptions and Outcomes of Occupational Therapy Students Participating in Community Engaged Learning: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Today’s health care system requires therapists to acquire a level of confidence, flexibility, and personal growth that enables them to treat a diverse and complex clientele. Occupational therapy programs need to ensure that clinical placements can best prepare students for these demands. Community engaged learning (CEL) offers a distinctive opportunity both to meet the curricular requirements of fieldwork and to afford students the chance to develop unique sets of skills. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the experiences of graduate occupational therapy students participating in CEL fieldwork placements. The study explored the students’ self-efficacy before and after placements and the transformative learning process that occurred. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, pre/post surveys, and reflective journals. The findings resulted in eight major themes that revealed growth in self-efficacy and personal and professional development. The results indicated the influential impression CEL leaves on the development of the student and provides a potential solution for programs to meet the demands of the current health care climate

The 1 um discontinuity in the Extragalactic Background Light spectrum: an artefact of foreground subtraction

Several recent papers claim the detection of a near infrared Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) intensity at 1.25 - 4 um that exceeds the integrated light of galaxies by factors of >3. When combined with a claimed optical detection of the EBL at 0.80 um the EBL excess emission spectrum has a discontinuity at ~1 um. This discontinuity has given rise to an interpretation in terms of ultraviolet radiation emanating from the first generation of massive stars at redshifts of 7 - 20 (so called Population III stars). The interpretation of the NIR excess emission as being of extragalactic origin depends crucially on the model used in the subtraction of the Zodiacal Light, the dominant foreground contaminant. We estimate the Zodiacal Light at 0.80 um using on the one hand the measurement by Bernstein et al.,2002, ApJ, 571,85), with corrections for some omitted effects of atmospheric scattering and calibration, and on the other hand the model of Kelsall et al.,1998, ApJ, 508,44). There is in neither case any evidence for a step in the EBL at ~1 um. We emphasize that in order to avoid systematic effects it is essential to use the same Zodiacal Light model (Kelsall et al. 1998) for both the NIR (1.25 - 4 um) and optical (0.80 um) data. We emphasize, however, that our analysis does not allow a statement on the overall level of the NIR EBL. The contribution of the Diffuse Galactic Light to the ``EBL excess'' emission is estimated. It is found to be significant at 3 - 4 um and should be carefully evaluated in future measurements which aim at detecting an EBL signal at the level of ~10 nW m^-2 sr^-1, i.e. at the level of the integrated light of (known) galaxies.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in MNRA

Ammonia volatilization, nitrogen in soil, and growth of barley after application of peat manure and pig slurry

Peat is added to manure, because its low pH and capacity to adsorb ammonia (NH3) give it potential to reduce nitrogen (N) loss. Peat manure was prepared by mixing pig slurry with moderately humified Sphagnum peat. Less than 1% of applied ammoniacal N was volatilized as NH3 from peat manure and pig slurry within 8 h of surface application on clay loam soil according to JTI method. Incorporated manures showed even smaller N loss. The low volatilization was due to the adsorption of manure ammoniacal N by peat, and the infiltration of slurry into harrowed, moist clay soil. In another experiment, peat manure was applied on polypropylene fabric without soil contact. Within the first 3 days there was only 9% reduction in the ammoniacal N of peat manure, but the major part of it was lost during several weeks of dry and warm weather. Peat manure did not cause any major improvements on the growth and N uptake of spring barley in spring and early summer as compared with slurry. Moisture deficit limited the availability of ammoniacal N of manures. As compared with surface application, incorporation of manures increased nitrification of ammonium in the soil, and dry matter mass (19–73%) and N uptake of barley. Supplementing manures with inorganic NPK fertilizer increased both dry matter mass (40–98%) and N concentration of barley stand

Spring barley yield and nitrogen recovery after application of peat manure and pig slurry

The effectiveness of peat manure, manufactured of pig slurry and moderately humified Sphagnum peat (slurry:peat ca. 1:1.5 v/v), as nitrogen (N) source for spring barley was investigated in a four.year field experiment on a clay loam soil in south-western Finland. Pig slurry, NPK fertilizer and plain peat were used as references. Manures were incorporated before sowing or surface-applied after sowing in spring at an ammoniacal N rate of.54.106 kg.ha-1 with or without supplementary NPK fertilizer (40.kg N.ha-1). Soil moisture conditions were varied by different irrigation treatments. Peat manure produced 5.15% higher grain yields than pig slurry, with the largest difference after surface application. Incorporation was more important for slurry than for peat manure in increasing N uptake and yield. Soil moisture deficit in spring and early summer limited the availability of manure N. Part of the manure N that was not available in the early growing period was apparently taken up by the crop later. Consequently, N concentration tended to be higher with lower yields, and differences in the recovery of manure N were smaller than the differences in grain yield. Supplementation of manures with inorganic fertilizer N increased yield by 37%, on average, and improved the N recovery

Various measures to achieve the EU goal for the use of bioenergy with special focus on field energy. Challenges for agricultural policy

The growing interest in biomass and energy produced from this is mainly considered a positive thing in terms of current agricultural production. Increased use of renewable resources as biomass gives a good opportunity to agriculture to promote its positive environmental functions and to make its contribution to the work to prevent climate change